F1 News
Montoya tells Norris to "stop playing the victim" in duel with Verstappen
- Ludo van Denderen
Juan Pablo Montoya has told Norris to change his approach in the fight with Max Verstappen because it means he will never win the overall fight. The Colombian praised Norris, but wants him to take a more aggressive approach.
The Colombian, having competed for McLaren in Formula 1 in the past, finds it amazing that Norris always seems to just step aside for Verstappen. "Max is the bully. As a racer, it is not what you want to see but it is a smart play. Max is more used to guys like Lewis [Hamilton] who wouldn’t stop at taking him out," Montoya stated in conversation with Instant Casino.
According to Montoya, Verstappen has two tactics: If he realises he lacks speed with his RB20, he can try to "run Lando over and crash and take the points away". "Or if he doesn’t have the position to do that, he will just ride around and take the points. That’s all he has to do. It’ll be hard for Lando to win from here."
'This is how Verstappen wins the war from Norris'
If Norris is to make ground in the World Championship battle, he needs to race differently, according to Montoya. "When you have a guy like Lando who is very fast and a very clean driver, you can’t go trying to fight a championship against Max with Lando saying how much respect he has for him and he's the best driver in the world! You might think that, but he shouldn’t be saying that publicly. I really like Lando, but he needs to speak a little less and not play the victim. You won’t win by playing the victim. You might win some battles, but you are going to lose the war," he added.
Montoya concludes by expecting fireworks again in Brazil next weekend. "At some point Lando needs to stand his ground and say, ‘Screw you, I can crash into you and it’s ok,’" he said.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton