Montoya reinforces his stance following the escalation of the clash with Verstappen.

      Juan Pablo Montoya has once again responded to Max Verstappen following their escalating verbal conflict during the Canadian GP weekend. The latest exchange was sparked after Montoya suggested that the four-time world champion should face penalties—potentially even race bans—for publicly criticizing the sport regarding the controversial 2026 regulations. Verstappen sharply dismissed Montoya's remarks in Montreal. Now, Montoya has reacted again. When asked by Martin Brundle on the Canadian GP grid about "upsetting the Verstappens," Montoya chuckled, "Anything new there?" Later speaking to TalkSport, the former Williams and McLaren driver, who is part of Formula 1’s official broadcast team, emphasized that there is no real feud. "No, no, there’s no drama," Montoya stated. "If there is drama... if you’re angry about this, you’re dealing with more trouble in your life than you should." At 50 years old and remembered as one of the most thrilling drivers in history, Montoya revealed that he still has friendly interactions with both Verstappen and his father, Jos Verstappen. "I've spoken to Max at races before, and we actually get along quite well," he clarified. "We don’t talk much, but we greet each other, and I also say hello to Jos. We’ve never had any issues, and I believe we don’t have any now either." Nonetheless, Montoya reiterated his controversial view, criticizing Verstappen for driving a Mercedes GT3 car at the Nurburgring while still under contract with Red Bull and Ford. "I think it was wrong for Max to drive that Mercedes at Nurburgring," he asserted. "If Ford invests so much in the sport with Red Bull, it’s just not right for him to drive a Mercedes." Montoya also insisted that his initial comments about Verstappen had been misconstrued and "completely taken out of context." "I merely stated that drivers who criticize Formula 1 should receive penalty points or a race suspension, as is the case in other sports." He added, "If I work for you and speak poorly about your company, you’d probably fire me too. That’s how it operates." According to Montoya, Verstappen only reacted after being prompted by journalists. He acknowledged that he would likely have responded similarly if the roles were reversed. "If it had been the other way around, I would have said the same thing Max said," Montoya noted. Finally, Montoya aimed a remark at Brundle himself, reigniting a long-standing tension between the two former drivers: "Martin Brundle never liked me, and that sentiment is mutual," he stated.