Juan Pablo Montoya says Max Verstappen should have ‘blacklisted’ journalist instead of ejecting him

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Juan Pablo Montoya believes Max Verstappen was right to be frustrated with the journalist he kicked out, but he went about things the wrong way.

Verstappen ejected a reporter during the Japanese Grand Prix press conference, causing a storm of controversy in doing so.

Verstappen has a negative history with the media, but this incident seemed to take things further than he ever had in the past.

Was Max Verstappen right to kick out a reporter during his press conference?

Last year, the reporter asked Verstappen if his Spanish GP move on George Russell cost him the title.

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Reporters are now scared after Verstappen’s outburst, feeling as though they don’t have the freedom to ask questions of drivers without the possibility of retaliation.

However, Max Verstappen does have his backers, including Juan Pablo Montoya. The only point of contention for the Colombian is how Verstappen went about this matter.

READ MORE: Nelson Piquet Jr says Max Verstappen has to deal with F1 journalists who ‘favour the British’

Juan Pablo Montoya believes Max Verstappen made a mistake not blacklisting reporter before press conference

Speaking with Diario AS Colombia, Juan Pablo Montoya was asked about Max Verstappen kicking out a reporter during the Japanese Grand Prix press conference.

He noted that Verstappen had a right to be upset with the journalist, who had been disrespectful to him. But Verstappen should have blacklisted him beforehand and had Red Bull’s PR team handle the matter.

“If it is disrespectful, when do you do it? If you do it before the race, you’re preoccupied. If they tell Max before the race on Friday, during the press conference, ‘Hey, you’re worried about what happened with George, that he lost points,’ I’d understand.

“But he just lost the world championship. He’s hysterical because he just lost the world championship, and then the Englishman comes along and needles him about it. He totally deserves it, with all due respect.

“He should be bitter and blacklisted for life. I’m telling you this because I’ve done it. You know what kind of questions that person is going to ask. The only thing he’s there for is to stir up trouble, to find the negative side of everything. From that point of view, I understand Max.

“The problem is that Max should have been clearer in Abu Dhabi with the team when that happened, and told them, ’I’m never going to see this journalist again. And then he’s on the blacklist and they never invite him again. That was Max’s mistake.

“Max should have let this thing go and at the end said, ‘I don’t want this man here, and that’s it.’ He didn’t warn anyone beforehand. I’m sure that the question that man was going to ask was even more serious than when he’s going to retire or something like that… Looking for a headline.”

READ MORE: Will Buxton says drivers ‘couldn’t believe’ that Max Verstappen ejected journalist at Japanese GP

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Ralf Schumacher suggests Max Verstappen could have handled situation politically

Montoya also added that Verstappen seems to be a target of the British press, but that doesn’t justify him not asking the Red Bull PR team to handle the issue.

“Is his workplace the Red Bull paddock or the press room? That’s where the problem lies. Red Bull was the one who made a mistake there… I think it being an English journalist who did it at the wrong time… The British press, which loves to needle Max, pour salt in the wound…

“I think that on one hand, they should have handled it a little more privately. I think Max should have gone to the press officer and said, ‘I’m backing out until I work things out with this journalist.’

“Then the Red Bull press department can handle it, not Max. He has every right not to take questions from him, but he could have handled it a little more politically.”

Red Bull reportedly addressed Verstappen internally, but there has been no word on any consequences from the incident.