I’ve written before how I believe either unlikely divine intervention or, more obviously, an email from the higher-ups got everyone singing off the same hymn sheet when what was predicted about the new power units came to pass in Melbourne, the 2026 Formula 1 engine rules were a flop.
Just patently obvious. I’m not the only one. Many saw the damage limitation campaign swing into full effect, suddenly trumpeting the number of overtakes while just about everybody in that paddock, many of them paid to do so, talked up what the rest of us were talking down.
At first, I found it amusing. Now I have a problem. Because Juan Pablo Montoya is a driver I’ve admired since the first time I saw him appear on the scene in IndyCar, then progress to Formula 1 with McLaren and Williams. He was a sensation in the States and in Formula 1 too, probably one of the most popular drivers ever, who spent far too little time there in the top flight, in my opinion.
The good friend of hamburgers, Montoya, after a mere 94 GPs, departed the tight confines of Formula 1 cockpits and found refuge in the abundantly more spacious NASCAR cockpit, as well as time in IndyCar again. Throughout, it never stopped him from being one of the most quotable guys connected to the sport.
He called a spade a spade and had scant regard for the official narrative if he had something to say.
Which is why he disappointed me as a long-time fan by pimping the official nonsense in defiance of his what we expect of him and know of him; this simply does not sit well. Because that is not the Montoya we know.
Furthermore, this could also be a message to the F1 TV and Sky F1 pundits for their part in the cover-up, overt shilling of the unsellable narrative curated for them. But they are paid to pimp the boss’s message, no matter what and obliged to do or resign. Juan Pablo is an independent, so no excuse.
Despite what I think is a gaffe on his side and for his brand, his formerly honest, no-BS brand, that is. This is for Monty, should he be in the Formula 1 paddock again, gracing us with his commentary, and I sincerely hope he is. Here it goes.
Dear Juan Pablo Montoya
As a longtime fan of yours, I even met you briefly at Kyalami when you were testing there for Williams, , I was pleasantly surprised by how approachable you were and by your sense of humour.
That was a long time ago, but since then, you have kept me well entertained and informed with your pearls of wisdom, which we are fortunate enough to publish here on GRANDPRIX247 and will continue to do so no matter what.
However, I take umbrage and almost feel insulted by the way you have joined the flipped narrative. And with it contradicting what Max Verstappen has rightfully said of these engines.
A four-time Formula 1 world champion, not an F1 refugee. A straight-talking racer we all admire. The best in the world, maybe the best ever. He called these cars what they are. Anti-racing. Not Formula 1. More like Formula E on steroids. That is not me saying it. That is Max Verstappen. He is the benchmark of this era.
So let me ask you this. Do you really want to see your son Sebastián, racing these cars? Is that what you want? Your boy racing cars that feel like video games, as Ollie Bearman inadvertently let slip?
Because your presence in the paddock is one of the highlights of my weekend. Let it not become something else. Let it not become me guffawing at enthusiasm for something that deserves none.
It did not look good. It did not look right. Your body language was deceiving and you were not saying these things with conviction. You ain’t a good liar.
In other words, you were not putting your balls on the line like you did when you raced and like you have done so many times as a commentator and pundit. So just be honest or shut the f@ck up.
Yours sincerely and always a fan,
PV