Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Max Verstappen is playing a ‘terrifying’ game in 2025 title fight

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Max Verstappen has put himself back in the frame for the 2025 Formula 1 title as tension begins to flare at McLaren.

The four-time champion was 104 points behind Oscar Piastri after the Aussie claimed victory at Zandvoort. In the last three races, Verstappen has outpaced the McLarens, winning in Monza and Baku.

With the Dutchman now 63 points behind with six races to go, he is starting to put the pressure on McLaren to wrap up the drivers’ title. He is in a strong position, especially given the drama between Piastri and Lando Norris in Singapore.

The McLaren drivers collided on the opening lap after Norris hit Verstappen at turn three, forcing him into a slide and banging wheels with Piastri. The Aussie was furious over the radio as he demanded a position swap, but the team did not intervene.

Piastri and Norris’ relationship is under ‘strain’ as they fight for the 2025 title. Things could easily get worse as McLaren will let their drivers take the ‘gloves off’ and battle it out in the final six races, and Verstappen is playing a game of his own.

Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Max Verstappen is pitting the McLaren drivers against each other to create ‘tension’

Red Bull were disappointed Verstappen did not win in Singapore as he came home second behind George Russell, who dominated the race. The 27-year-old was gunning for pole position, but he abandoned his final lap by the pit entry.

Verstappen claimed that Norris impeded him with dirty air while entering the final two corners. For Juan Pablo Montoya, this is a ‘terrifying’ game that the Dutchman is playing to unnerve the McLaren drivers and create ‘tension’ amongst them.

“It’s terrifying that Max is playing that game and the only reason Max is playing that game is because he wants to pit the two McLaren drivers against each other and he’s very strategic,” he said via AS Columbia.

“He’s not stupid. So he’s perfect and saying it in front of Oscar, right? Well, you weren’t a McLaren driver, the other one was the one who made me uncomfortable, do you understand me? To create that tension.

“It wasn’t even visible, and it wasn’t even there. I’m telling you, if Lando was driving fast, opening up a gap very quickly, all the gap he’s opening up, because he’s going full speed, one says, ‘No, but he wasn’t even close enough for it to affect anything’.

“Well, where it would have affected Lando, he wouldn’t have been able to get as close as he got to Max in the race. Until Lando had problems when he got to a second or 1.3, something like that, but until then Lando had no problems and was much faster than Max.

“So, if you look at that and say, let’s say it’s not 1.3, but 2 and a half, 3 seconds, 3 seconds. Lando was ahead by 3 seconds, if you know what I mean.”

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Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Max Verstappen considers Lando Norris a ‘threat’

Adding to his point, Montoya believes that Verstappen is now threatened by Norris’ driving. He thinks that the McLaren driver is ‘no longer holding back’ and is becoming more aggressive with the Dutchman.

“Of course, he says, ‘The McLaren got in my way’. So, that means that what Lando is starting to do with his driving is starting to affect Max,” he added.

“Max didn’t say anything about Lando before because Lando was never a threat. Lando is becoming a threat. Lando is already pushing, Lando is no longer holding back.”

The Brit sits 41 points ahead of Verstappen and 22 points behind Piastri heading into the United States GP. Montoya thinks McLaren are favouring Norris over his teammate, with their team orders over the last three races backing up that argument.