Formula 1 has once again become the stage for controversy off the track, with many criticisms of the 2026 rules generating a strong reaction. Juan Pablo Montoya defended severe punishments for Max Verstappen for his statements against the current regulations.
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The former F1 driver believes that negative comments about the category should have consequences, especially coming from a four-time world champion. For him, the Dutchman’s attitude crosses the acceptable limit within the category.
Montoya suggested that the FIA apply points to Verstappen’s super license as a form of warning: “You need to respect the sport. It’s okay not to like the regulations, but the way you talk about the category you live from should have consequences,” he said.
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The Colombian went further by proposing a harsher measure to curb this type of behavior: “Penalize him. Put seven or eight points on the super license. Whatever comes after that, you will end up out of a race. I guarantee the speech would change,” he said, indicating that this would bring the Dutch driver close to an automatic race suspension.
Currently, Verstappen has three points on his super license, the result of an incident last season. With the addition suggested by Montoya, the driver would be close to the twelve-point limit, which results in a race suspension, increasing the pressure on his behavior both on and off the track.
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