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The interview with ex-Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya
In an interview with our esteemed colleagues at VegasInsider, Juan Pablo Montoya gave his take on the latest developments in Formula 1 and gave his opinion on the issues surrounding the Miami GP, Mercedes and Charles Leclerc.
Juan Pablo Montoya on Miami: “Weather is unpredictable “
Which car will cope best with the Miami track?
Juan Pablo Montoya: “I would assume that the track in Miami will be really smooth because it is a new track. It will be interesting to see what surface they use.
One of the things that could be a problem is the weather. It doesn’t rain much, but for five minutes it can really pour. Then it’s not just a light drizzle, the surface will be completely wet and completely damp. In many places you can see the weather front coming. Not here. It’s just ‘in a jiffy, all wet and gone’.
The weather could have a massive impact on the race. A storm could pass by the track, it could just wet part of the track. It’s going to be quite interesting. They’ll have spotters and radars and everything to let the teams know where the rain is coming from, but it’s very hard to predict.”
Which teams would benefit from a dry track and which from a wet track?
“I think the biggest winner on a wet track would be Max Verstappen. Max would have a big advantage, he seems to be very strong and comfortable in the wet. If it’s dry, I would probably go for Ferrari.
It will be interesting to see what Charles Leclerc does after last week’s mistake. Whether he continues to go all out and everything works great or whether he goes down a notch in his performance just to be careful and not make another mistake. When you do that, you put yourself in a bad situation because you take performance away.
I think it’s quite fascinating right now because if you look at Max, he looked very convincing in the first couple of races, then he wasn’t really there anymore. If you look at the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, that Sergio Perez was able to beat him – no disrespect intended – is surprising.
I don’t think anyone was expecting that. Especially with what we’ve seen before. But if you look at the Max Verstappen that showed up halfway through the sprint race at Imola and on Sunday…that guy, with that car, they’re going to fight to win. “
Any driver exceeding expectations in Miami?
“I think it could be a really good day for a guy like Checo (Sergio Perez, note) or Lando Norris. Those are the two guys that could surprise us. I think on a new track, the young guys benefit.
Either Checo, because the Latin flair is here in Miami. A lot of Mexicans are here. For him, it’s like a second home race. It’s going to be more of a home race than Austin.
I think the atmosphere for a guy like Lando can really make him stand out. And he’ll feel at home here. It’s going to be really interesting to see. “
Juan Pablo Montoya on VW in Formula 1: “Must stay at least 10 years “
And who will win?
“If I was a betting man, I would probably put my money on Max. Charles Leclerc, if the team went to him and said, ‘Just keep going full throttle and don’t worry about it.’ If they told him that, he could win the race as well.
But my money would be on Max this week. Especially with the weather in Miami.”
The McLarens have improved a lot in the last few races. Do you think they are finally starting to understand their car?
“McLaren are one of those teams that are just on the cusp that if they make a big step with the car, they could win right there. It looks more likely at the moment that a McLaren will keep pace with Ferrari and Red Bull than a Mercedes.
If Mercedes have made a step then they will have moved closer to McLaren and if McLaren have made a step then they will have moved closer to a Red Bull and a Ferrari.
I personally think Mercedes is two steps away from them. They have the people, the resources, everything.
They thought the problem they were trying to figure out, they already figured it out in the wind tunnel and put it on the track. The wind tunnel runs up to 250 km/h and but the problem starts at 300. And they can’t simulate that.
So they think they’ve fixed it and they think they never had a problem. It’s difficult. Probably a lot of analysts, a lot of engineers are tearing their hair out in the shed trying to figure it out.
That’s what I think Toto Wolff is very strong at. They’ve got a really good group of people together and also a great group of people and Toto has united them.
When you have four people, as is the case with Mercedes, and you can actually get them to work together, I think that’s incredible and that’s why Mercedes did so well. And that’s Toto in the background to thank for that. “
Volkswagen confirmed the entry of Audi and Porsche into F1. Do you think that’s good for the sport?
“I think it will be great for the sport to see another manufacturer. I think for the manufacturers that are getting in now, it’s really important that they get in for the long term. In the past when teams like McLaren raced, Williams changed brands, the engine manufacturer was a supplier or partner.
And now, when the manufacturers become teams themselves, it’s good that they are really committed to the sport. I think that’s part of the deal. If you get in, you have to stay at least 10 years or however long is.
They’ve talked about it for a long time. They see a good opportunity with the new engine rules and I think a lot of things have been conceded to make sure they are happy with the rules for participation.
You hear from Porsche and Audi, so they are planning with two teams. Do they want to be suppliers or do they want to be a team?
There are not many teams to buy. The only team you can think of today is probably Williams. Because the people who bought it bought it as an investment. If they can get some of their money back and make some money on it, they would be happy.
Or do they want to start as a supplier and then create a team, like BMW did before? “
