Juan Pablo Montoya says Charles Leclerc ‘didn’t move’ for Max Verstappen like Lewis Hamilton

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Charles Leclerc didn’t allow himself to be bullied like teammate Lewis Hamilton when he faced Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix, Juan Pablo Montoya says.

Hamilton and Verstappen battled for sixth place during Saturday’s Sprint race, with the Red Bull driver eventually winning out.

On Sunday, the other Ferrari of Leclerc passed Verstappen twice, first at the start and then on fresher tyres in his second stint. The Monegasque ultimately finished behind, though, after sustaining damage on the final lap.

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Charles Leclerc wouldn’t let Max Verstappen intimidate him at Miami Grand Prix

Speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast, Montoya said Verstappen effectively moved Hamilton ‘out of the way’ during the Sprint. Both drivers left the track when the Dutchman first made the move, which forced him to return the place.

On the following lap, he made a clean move on his 2021 title rival at the penultimate corner, with Hamilton unable to respond.

Come Sunday, Verstappen tried to defend against Leclerc after running wide at the first corner but was too eager on the throttle, resulting in a spin that demoted him to ninth.

When Martin Brundle analysed Verstappen’s spin, he suggested that the four-time world champion was ‘panicked’ by the presence of Leclerc on his inside.

“Look at yesterday with Lewis,” Montoya said. “He moved Lewis out of the way aggressively.

“He tried it with Charles, Charles didn’t move, and he ended up spinning.”

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The consensus in the F1 paddock is that Leclerc is Verstappen’s toughest opponent in wheel-to-wheel combat. They raced together in karting, so they are well versed in one another’s tactics.

Before joining Red Bull, Isack Hadjar said Verstappen showed Leclerc more ‘respect’ during their on-track battles.

Carlos Sainz criticised Verstappen when he tried to fight back through the midfield on Sunday, suggesting he was forcing other drivers to take evasive action.

Verstappen did pick up a penalty after the race, but that five-second sanction was for crossing the pit exit lane rather than any racing offence.