“The way Lando’s driving, if this was the start of the year with the car McLaren have now, they could probably beat Max for the championship, because they have the pace. But at some point, he needs to go, ‘Okay, how do I do this? What else do I need to study to make it happen?’”
F1 heads from Mexico to Brazil for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and the final part of the penultimate triple header sequence this week, where a fresh-faced Montoya made his own statement back in 2001 thanks to a bold lunge on the aforementioned and established Schumacher.
POWER RANKINGS: Which drivers made all the right moves in Mexico City?
The memory of that breathtaking side-by-side moment leads to one final assessment of the two title contenders – separated by 47 points in Verstappen’s favour – and what might happen as the championship reaches its climax.
“I think Max is built a little bit like me,” the famously combative Montoya says. “I think Lando has grown a lot, but he’s got to be comfortable enough to take it to Max, to [say], ‘Hey, there’s a line of how far you can go with me.’
“Max keeps pushing the buttons, and I think we’re going to see fireworks at some point [across the remaining races]. It’s going to make things really good fun.”
