Juan Pablo Montoya Insists George Russell Could Be “Just as Good as” Max Verstappen
Juan Pablo Montoya made a bold claim that George Russell possessed the potential to be just as good as Max Verstappen in the near future.
Follow Us
George Russell and Max Verstappen (via F1), Juan Pablo Montoya (via Getty)
🔍 Explore this post with:
Max Verstappen has put forth one of the best performances compared to the other drivers on the grid in the 2025 season. The Dutchman has kept up with positive results despite racing in an inferior chassis. Even George Russell has emerged as one of the better drivers, especially after he achieved two coveted race wins amid McLaren’s dominance. Now, ex-F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya draws a parallel between Verstappen and Russell.
George Russell is among the very few drivers in the current grid who are yet to confirm their contractual situation beyond the 2025 season. The Briton recently provided a long-awaited update on his contract, with Toto Wolff even revealing the reasons behind his delay. However, despite a stellar win in Singapore, his contract renewal hasn’t arrived yet.
As such, Juan Pablo Montoya raised unsurety over what Toto Wolff had in his mind, especially with the entire contract fiasco with George Russell. Regardless, Russell was showcasing that the team did not Max Verstappen in the long run. The Briton had proved himself time and again, and hence Wolff didn’t have to ponder over the possibility of acquiring the reigning world champion.
Juan Pablo Montoya insisted that Mercedes had George Russell, who had the potential to be just as good as Max Verstappen in the near future. Montoya asserted that Russell was showcasing that he was capable of fighting for the title in the long term, although it had been over six years since his joining the team, and he was still unable to contend for the title even once.
I don’t know what Toto is thinking, but what George is showing is that they don’t need Max because they’ve already got someone. They’ve got Russell, who could be just as good as Max in the future. So all this is really showing is — he’s basically saying, ‘yes, we need to secure someone for the future. This is the person.’
Juan Pablo Montoya said on the MontoyAS podcast.
George Russell ‘forcing’ Mercedes to give him whatever he wants
The 2025 season is just six races away from completion, and George Russell would like to have some future certainty by the time the season finishes. Although the Briton has been performing great, he hasn’t been able to secure the contract extension that he wants. Despite the intense delay, Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the 27-year-old could force the team to give him whatever he wants, but with a caveat.
Juan Pablo Montoya explained that with George Russell’s positive performance, he was forcing Mercedes to reach a point where they had to just give him whatever he wanted. The team will have to make a decision sooner or later, but the Briton isn’t going to wait forever. Moreover, Montoya recalled that Russell won two races with the team, in a car that seemed incapable of winning any races at all.
And the way he’s performing, he’s forcing Mercedes’ hand to the point where they’ll have to say, ‘whatever he wants, we’re going to have to give it to him’, He’s won two races this year with a car that, in theory, wasn’t capable of winning.
Juan Pablo Montoya added.
George Russell is certainly not in the title fight as he is over 99 points adrift of the championship lead to Oscar Piastri. Although he can make up the gap in theory, he wouldn’t be able to do so, keeping in mind McLaren’s dominant run currently. As such, time will tell if the Briton is able to move up the pecking order in the driver’s title at the very least.
Read More: Ex-F1 Team Boss Urges McLaren to SCRAP Papaya Rules and Prioritize Oscar Piastri
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)