Montoya explains: 'If the FIA don't like you, you're penalised more often'
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F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
Even though Max Verstappen won his fourth world title in 2024, the multiple run-ins that he had with the stewards can't be overlooked. The Dutchman was penalised harshly for actions that other drivers might have gotten away with more lenient punishment. Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the stewards have a tendency to make biased decisions.
A big complaint from some F1 drivers this season, especially world champion Max Verstappen, was that the stewards were inconsistent in their sanctioning policy. Montoya reveals via Instant Casino that he feels the same way. "I do agree there's always been inconsistency," he begins.
Then - without mentioning Verstappen by name - he comes up with an example: "If the FIA don't like you normally what happens with a race steward is that if you are penalised for an incident the next time you're there, 90 per cent of the time even if you're innocent, they're going to penalise you because you have previous history," Montoya said.
One example was the Qatar Grand Prix, where Verstappen lost his pole position for blocking George Russell while both weren't on a push lap. The saga between the two seeped into the following weekend in Abu Dhabi with Verstappen firmly believing that the stewards made yet another one-sided decision after his previous 20-second time penalty in Mexico.
Montoya sees biased stewards:
The former F1 driver uses an interesting analogy to explain the situation. "In their mind, they cannot erase what you did before. You get a reputation. Even if you already paid the penalty. It’s like if you’ve stolen some money and you go to jail, you leave jail, money goes missing somewhere, and the next time a cop catches you, they're going to assume you did it. That's the deal.”
This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon
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