Juan Pablo Montoya calls for Max Verstappen to be suspended: 'Park him'

Juan Pablo Montoya has called for Max Verstappen to be punished with penalty points on his FIA super licence that would push him towards a race ban for his continued criticism of F1's 2026 regulations.

The former Williams and McLaren driver advocated for the motorsport governing body to impose severe sanctions on the four-time F1 drivers' champion for what he described as disrespectful comments about the sport.

"You've got to respect the sport," Montoya told the BBC's Chequered Flag podcast. "For me, what the drivers are doing, I'm okay with you not liking the regulations, but the way you were speaking about what you're living off and your own sport, there should be consequences for that."

Montoya's extraordinary suggestion would see Verstappen given substantial penalty points, enough to bring him close to the 12-point threshold that triggers an automatic one-race suspension.

"Park him. Add seven points to the licence, eight points to the licence. Whatever you do after, you're going to be parked. I guarantee you all the messaging would be different," he said.

The Dutch driver currently has three penalty points on his FIA Super Licence from his incident at last year's Spanish Grand Prix with George Russell, meaning seven or eight additional points would still leave him below the suspension threshold, though it would bring him perilously close, as he was last year.

Don't 'call an F1 car a Mario Kart'

Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the new regulations since pre-season testing in February, labelling them "anti-racing" and "Formula E on steroids".

At the Miami Grand Prix, despite tweaks implemented by the FIA in April, he doubled down on his stance, insisting he still feels drivers must go slower to go faster and that the rules remain "punishing".

The Red Bull driver has also compared the new cars to "Mario Kart", taking particular issue with the energy management systems that force drivers to focus on battery deployment rather than pure racing.

Montoya stressed he was not opposed to drivers voicing concerns about the regulations, but insisted criticism should remain constructive.

"I'm not saying, 'Don't say that you don't like the regulations', because if you don't like it, you have the complete right to an opinion," he explained. "It's okay to be outspoken. I'm not saying don't be outspoken, but don't come and call an F1 car a Mario Kart."

The Colombian acknowledged that team politics may be influencing driver comments. "So there are two things there. One, what he really feels, and two, is what the team is probably asking him to say," he explained.

"The politics of the sport are really important, and the message the drivers come across and ask for, a lot of them are guided. They tell you we really need to push for this because this is going to really help us."

Verstappen has consistently maintained that his criticism is not related to Red Bull's struggles with the RB22, pointing out he first voiced concerns about the regulations in 2023, when the team was dominant. He sits seventh in the drivers' championship on 26 points after four rounds, following improvements to the Milton Keynes-based squad's package at the Miami International Autodrome, where he finished fifth.