Helmut Marko claims ‘lazy b**tard’ Juan Pablo Montoya ‘wasted his talent’

Juan Pablo Montoya was a part of Helmut Marko's Formula 3000 team.

Helmut Marko claims ‘lazy b**tard’ Juan Pablo Montoya ‘wasted his talent’

Helmut Marko(L) and Juan Pablo Montoya(R), via IMAGO

Helmut Marko is known to make remarks on multiple figures within the paddock. However, he recently claimed Juan Pablo Montoya was lazy in his junior formula days and revealed why the Colombian wasted his talent and never realised his full potential.

Juan Pablo Montoya began his karting career at the age of five. The young Colombian soon rose through the ranks and made his Formula 3000 debut in 1997 with RSM Marko, a team owned by Helmut Marko. The 48-year-old finished runners-up in his first attempt at the championship. However, this result was unacceptable to the Austrian, as he accused him of intentionally losing the championship in the aftermath.

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On the other hand, Helmut Marko revealed how Montoya wasted his potential.

Juan Pablo[Montoya] came here to Graz. The first thing he asked me was which of the four McDonald's was the best. His diet was not healthy, he was a lazy b**tard . He was incredibly fast, but he made a lot of stupid mistakes. With Juan Pablo we had a difficult time, for a long time we didn't even talk to each other. Now we are good friends. He wasted his talent, he could have been F1 world champion several times.
Helmut Marko said in an interview with GrandPrix247

The 81-year-old revealed that when the former F1 driver came to Austria, he asked him about the best McDonald’s near them. This infuriated him as he claimed Montoya’s diet was unhealthy and he was just a lazy person, who had lots of potential but did not have the motivation to work for it. On the contrary, to Marko’s harsh remarks, the Colombian claimed the championship in his sophomore and made his F1 debut in 2001.

Helmut Marko admits Red Bull is in a myriad of troubles

Despite their earlier feuds, the Austrian admitted that both of them are now good friends. On the other hand, in the paddock, Red Bull is seemingly in a tough position as rivals are breezing past them and winning races while the Austrian giant struggles to qualify in the top three.

Max Verstappen, elmut Marko and Christian Horner
Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

Marko revealed that in a bewildering season, the Milton Keynes-based squad has found themselves in massive trouble.

It won't be that easy. We didn't have the fastest car in Silverstone. We have one problem if not several. But as long as we extend our lead in every race, it'll be fine. But what is normal this season? We're experiencing such ups and downs that we're sometimes at a loss.
Helmut Marko said in an interview with OE24

The Austrian referred to Red Bull’s struggles in Silverstone. The team was running P5 with Max Verstappen for most of the race and was not even forecasted to secure a podium. Moreover, without the change in weather, they could have been well out of range of the race win, which led Marko to admit that the team has witnessed multiple ups and downs throughout the season.

Despite Red Bull’s recent struggles, the Austrian giant has a 71-point lead over their nearest rivals. Thus, the reigning champions would be in damage limitation mode and increase this cushion in the upcoming races as second driver troubles haunt the team.

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