Juan Pablo Montoya is spot on with how Lando Norris handled questions about new F1 regulations

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Juan Pablo Montoya gave his verdict on Lando Norris’ handling of questions about the new F1 regulations in a recent interview.

Norris was blocked from any regulation talk during an interview with The Guardian by his team. Despite his team warning the journalist, Donald McRae, against asking these questions, he went ahead with the line of questioning.

While Norris didn’t treat the questions with any hostility towards the journalist nor the topic, it became clear that McLaren didn’t want him speaking on the matter.

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Amid the criticism Max Verstappen faced for his media interaction, it was refreshing to see Norris handle the situation as well as he did.

And Juan Pablo Montoya believes Lando Norris should be applauded for the way he handled the situation, showing a level of maturity we haven’t seen from him in the past.

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Lando Norris’ recent interview shows his maturity has grown massively

Speaking to AS Colombia, Juan Pablo Montoya discussed the recent situation with Lando Norris during his interview with The Guardian.

Montoya was incredibly complimentary of the reigning world champion and how he handled questions about the regulations and Max Verstappen.

“Lando handled it very well and acted as if he was going to respond, knowing that he couldn’t respond and that they (McLaren) were going to stop him. I think the journalist did a very poor job.

“They offer you an exclusive with Lando, but tell you that you can’t ask him about Verstappen, but you still do. I’ll never answer your calls again if I were him. With all due respect…”

While Montoya was full of praise for Norris, he didn’t have anywhere near the same level of positivity towards the journalist, wondering why he would pursue a line of questioning that had been taken off the table prior to the interview.

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Lando Norris showing significant growth in his interactions with the media

For a significant portion of his career, even as far back as last season, Lando Norris had awkward moments and encounters with members of the press.

Norris, for all his driving skill and acumen, had shown he lacked a certain sense of maturity and tact in responding to questions from the media.

The way he handled the situation with McRae and The Guardian, with or without the intervention from his team, shows that the last few months have given him a newfound perspective on how to deal with the media.

A response (or lack thereof) from Norris to the reporter to questions like the one he asked would have been unfathomable just a year ago.

Perhaps the long-awaited world championship win has allowed Norris to develop not just as a driver, but as a representative and ambassador for McLaren and Formula 1 as a whole.