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Max Verstappen was perhaps lucky to finish fifth at the Miami Grand Prix after he spun on the opening lap. At least, that is what Juan Pablo Montoya thinks.
The Dutchman put his Red Bull on the front row of the grid behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen was feeling much more comfortable in the RB22 at the Miami Grand Prix, with the team bringing numerous upgrades to the race.
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Verstappen launched into turn one alongside Antonelli and Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver took the lead ahead of the Red Bull star, before the latter lost the rear and spun in front of the oncoming pack.
He was incredibly fortunate not to be collected, and he managed to keep his car on the track. Martin Brundle described Verstappen’s move as ‘absolute genius’, with Jolyon Palmer also admiring his talent, but Montoya did not agree.
Juan Pablo Montoya labels Max Verstappen’s spin at the Miami Grand Prix as ‘pure luck’
Palmer and Montoya discussed Verstappen’s race on F1TV’s post-race show. The former was in awe of the Dutchman and his ability to keep the car on the track.
He said: “Yeah. I think he’s got such a skill set at spinning cars and get it going again at the right point.”
Montoya, however, was not as impressed, as he asked Palmer: “You say that’s talent?” When he replied yes, the Colombian remarked: “I thought it was pure luck.”
Palmer then defended his opinion: “When you do it as often as Max, you have to say it’s talent. Spinning car, obviously, your scenery is changing all the time.” Montoya replied: “Yeah. But the car always spins and then it slows down.”
Palmer continued: “But not always straightforward though. Very rarely. You got, what, 10 degrees of 360 for it to be nicely forward? So you’ve got the brake pedal, you got the steering, and the clutch. All of it, you can release at the right time. And Max just does it.”
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Max Verstappen called a hypocrite for aggressive moves in Miami Grand Prix
Verstappen finished fifth after passing Leclerc on the final lap as he sustained damage from a last-lap spin. The four-time champion was hit with a time penalty after the race for crossing the pit exit line, but thanks to Leclerc being penalised as well, he kept P5.
During the race, Verstappen pulled many aggressive moves, particularly on Williams driver Carlos Sainz, who was not impressed with the Red Bull driver forcing him wide. Sainz doubled down on his criticism of Verstappen after the race.
A five-second penalty for Max Verstappen, but he keeps P5!
The right decision?
He was later involved in drama with his Williams teammate, Alex Albon, except this time, it was Verstappen on the receiving end of an aggressive move. The Thai driver forced him close to the edge of the track at turn 17, which did not sit well with the Red Bull driver.
Damon Hill accused Verstappen of hypocrisy as he pulls aggressive moves on several rivals. Brundle also believed Albon did nothing wrong.
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