Juan Pablo Montoya delivers 'boring' retort to F1 illusion

Juan Pablo Montoya has questioned misty-eyed fans who believe the F1 era in which he competed was better than the sport's latest offering.

Formula 1 and the FIA have come under fire from all quarters for introducing the current 50-50 power split between combustion and electrical energy, leading to what has been described as 'yo-yo racing' with overtakes completed dependent on battery life.

It led to the FIA modifying the rules in four key areas following comprehensive discussions with F1, engine manufacturers, and drivers during the April break. Some of the changes were aimed at making qualifying more enjoyable, while others focused on improving safety.

Following the Miami Grand Prix weekend, whilst the view from the drivers' perspective was that more work is required to make qualifying and racing more palatable, the general consensus was that the spectacle had improved.

"I think it was good," said seven-time grand prix winner Montoya, speaking to RacingNews365. "I mean, there are always people who are going to complain, but I thought racing was good before.

"I actually thought it was harder to pass now than before, but the racing itself was really good."

[Article continues below]

Really special F1 era

Montoya competed in F1 from 2001 to 2006 with Williams and McLaren, making 94 grand prix starts, and twice finishing third in the drivers' standings.

Although veteran drivers rarely criticise their own era, Montoya believes that racing in F1 in the early 'noughties' was not the spectacle it is now, and with four teams in Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull competing for titles, wins and podiums.


"You can always complain, but we used to complain when the car had 950 horsepower and weighed 600 kilos with the grip tyres," he said.

"Everybody says that's the best racing cars there were, but the races were terrible.

"I was told by somebody the other day, ‘You know, your time was so much better'. I said, 'Have you really watched a race from my time and seen how boring it was?'

"Racing nowadays is entertaining, and I think right now we're in a really special era because you have four teams that can win races, and that's not very common."