{"id":650751,"date":"2026-05-05T08:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T08:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/650751\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T08:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T08:19:11","slug":"juan-pablo-montoya-calls-for-max-verstappen-to-be-punished-over-rules-criticism-south-african-president-to-push-for-new-grand-prix-in-africa-franco-colapinto-praised-after-career-best-finish-flavio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/650751\/","title":{"rendered":"Juan Pablo Montoya calls for Max Verstappen to be punished over rules criticism, South African president to push for new grand prix in Africa, Franco Colapinto praised after career-best finish, Flavio Briatore, calendar, schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Miami Grand Prix was the first race of the season under tweaks to the controversial 2026 regulations, but driver feedback was lukewarm at best.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s just the way Juan Pablo Montoya likes it.<\/p>\n<p>Racer-turned-pundit Montoya has had enough of drivers criticising the sport that makes them their millions, and the Columbian wants action taken against those lashing out against F1\u2019s best interests.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776909012_441_poster-fallback.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship\u2122 LIVE in 4K. <a href=\"https:\/\/kayosports.com.au\/en-AU\/welcome\/f1?pg=default&amp;extcamp=fsaeditoriallinkmotorsport-edt-fsp-lnk-awr-grc-mtr-kyo&amp;channel=fsa&amp;campaign=fsacontra&amp;voucher=\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, South Africa\u2019s bid to rejoin the Formula 1 calendar has received an important governmental boost.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, Franco Colapinto has been challenged to use his standout Miami weekend to build momentum for the season.<\/p>\n<p>MONTOYA CALLS FOR \u2018CONSEQUENCES\u2019 FOR F1 CRITICISM<\/p>\n<p>Seven-time grand prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya believes drivers who criticise Formula 1 should face suspensions for bringing the sport into disrepute.<\/p>\n<p>Montoya\u2019s comments were directed primarily to Max Verstappen, who has been a vocal critic of the sport and its 2026 engine rules.<\/p>\n<p>Verstappen has described the new regulations as \u201canti-racing\u201d and hash likened the competition to Mario Kart because of the influence of the push-to-pass boost button.<\/p>\n<p>The Dutchman has threatened to quit the sport if meaningful changes aren\u2019t made to the rules.<\/p>\n<p>But Montoya, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, called for Verstappen to rein in his criticism, arguing Formula 1 drivers should be required to act in the sport\u2019s best interests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got to respect the sport,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/p02nrsjn\/episodes\/downloads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">he told the BBC\u2019s Chequered Flag podcast<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m okay you not liking the regulations, but the way you were speaking about what you\u2019re living off and your own sport, you should be there should be consequences for that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPark him. Add seven points to the licence, eight points to the licence, [so] that whatever you do after, you\u2019re going to be parked. I guarantee you all the messaging would be different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Montoya said he was comfortable with drivers voicing their opinions about the new rules but that they should be kept constructive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not saying, \u2018Don\u2019t say that you don\u2019t like the regulations\u2019, because if you don\u2019t like them, you have the complete right to an opinion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s okay to be outspoken. I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t be outspoken, but don\u2019t come and call an F1 car a Mario Kart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Columbian also argued that there was likely a political angle to Verstappen\u2019s criticism likely motivated by Red Bull Racing\u2019s position on the regulations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe politics of the sport are really important, and the message the drivers come across and ask for, a lot of them are guided,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey tell you we really need to push for this because this is going to really help us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McLaren are back!? 1-2 sprint triumph | 00:46<\/p>\n<p>SOUTH AFRICA RAMPS UP F1 EFFORT<\/p>\n<p>South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend a Formula 1 grand prix this season to bolster a bid to bring the world championship back to Kyalami.<\/p>\n<p>Though there are believed to be three South African F1 bids, Kyalami is the only one with official government backing following a competitive tender process last year.<\/p>\n<p>Though the government\u2019s approval does not come with funding, Ramaphosa\u2019s support could prove valuable to getting a deal over the line when at least two other African nations are in bidding for a grand prix.<\/p>\n<p>South Africa\u2019s biggest contender is believed to be a proposed new permanent circuit near Rwandan capital Kigali. Morocco is also reportedly planning a circuit in the seaside city of Tangier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a working visit, not a social one,\u201d South African sports minister Gayton McKenzie said, per African Business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president\u2019s visit will allow us to observe, engage and strengthen our case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will provide further details on the timing and the specific grand prix in due course, in co-ordination with the presidency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Having no African Grand Prix] is not acceptable, and it is not sustainable. An entire generation of young African motorsport enthusiasts has never seen a Formula 1 race in their own backyard. We intend to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If South Africa or any of the other African bids is to be successful, however, it won\u2019t be until 2029 at the earliest.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement that the Turkish Grand Prix will return to next year\u2019s calendar means the schedule is at its maximum 24 races for the next two years at least.<\/p>\n<p>A proposed Thai Grand Prix is believed to be the frontrunner to take the first opening, having been approved for significant government expenditure last year, though talk of the street race in capital Bangkok has gone quiet following a change of government.<\/p>\n<p>If not Thailand, there is also interest in hosting a race in both South Korea and India.<\/p>\n<p>With Formula 1 increasingly preferring government-underwritten races for their long-term financial certainty, Kyalami\u2019s bid would appear to be an outsider.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRealistically speaking, I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to have an outcome [in Africa] in the very short term,\u201d F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said last year.<\/p>\n<p>Formula 1 last races in Africa in 1993, Kyalami\u2019s final year on the calendar. The circuit, north of Johannesburg, was only the third circuit in Africa to have hosted a world championship grand prix, following the Prince George Circuit, also in South Africa, and the Ain-Diab street circuit in Morocco.<\/p>\n<p>Australian Grand Prix pushed back | 00:54<\/p>\n<p>\ufeffCOLAPINTO CHALLENGED TO REPEAT CAREER-BEST RESULT<\/p>\n<p>Alpine boss Flavio Briatore has challenged Franco Colapinto to repeat his Miami Grand Prix performance every weekend after recording a career-best seventh-place finish around Hard Rock Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Colapinto enjoyed his most complete weekend at Alpine, outqualifying teammate Pierre Gasly for both the sprint and the grand prix.<\/p>\n<p>From his first top-1o start since 2024, Colapinto took the chequered flag eighth but was promoted to seventh after Charles Leclerc\u2019s drive-through penalty was applied post race.<\/p>\n<p>His previous best finish had been his eighth place at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in just his second start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFranco has rounded off a really good week where he has performed at the level we expect him to at every race weekend,\u201d Briatore said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe car is competitive, and it is these performances we need week in, week out from both drivers and the entire team for us to meet our objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Colapinto said the Miami weekend had been the best of his Formula 1 career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think since I got to F1 it\u2019s been my most perfect weekend,\u201d said the Argentine, per Racer. \u201cI am very happy with the weekend \u2014 it\u2019s been executed really well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I maximised every session, and we scored strong points, so it\u2019s been a weekend for all of us to be really proud of, and we will try to get better in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Colapinto\u2019s result, behind only the frontrunners \u2014 before Leclerc\u2019s penalty \u2014 and more than 20 seconds ahead of the rest of the midfield, highlighted big gains for Alpine and its Miami-spec upgrade package.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are P5 in the constructors championship and we are looking forwards and not backwards on what we can achieve,\u201d Briatore said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Grand Prix was the first race of the season under tweaks to the controversial 2026 regulations,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[6074,314800,314795,314792,2095,1724,64,63,131169,2090,2065,314803,33095,13275,314797,2055,170417,300936,9239,51270,2755,1802,45891,217504,314790,314791,314793,841,86311,1209,313608,45884,870,1737,312386,86951,825,5140,24604,806,805,803,804,2041,68108,2067,2333,1513,2119,314794,78374,21786,314798,314796,1183,314801,314802,5813,2812,18780,12540,85,52474,100051,245547,3725,2614,109459,2086,314799],"class_list":["post-650751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-africa","tag-african-bids","tag-african-motorsport-enthusiasts","tag-african-nations","tag-america","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-grand","tag-british-broadcasting-corporation","tag-canada","tag-career-best-finish","tag-championship-grand-prix","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-competitive-tender-process","tag-constructors-championship","tag-cyril-ramaphosa","tag-driver-feedback","tag-eastern-asia","tag-engine-rules","tag-florida","tag-franco-colapinto","tag-gauteng","tag-gayton-mckenzie","tag-george-circuit","tag-government-expenditure","tag-government-underwritten-races","tag-grand-prix","tag-grand-prix-winner","tag-india","tag-italian-wonderkid","tag-johannesburg","tag-juan-pablo-montoya","tag-lando-norris","tag-leading-home-team-mate","tag-mario-kart","tag-max-verstappen","tag-miami","tag-morocco","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-north-america","tag-northern-africa","tag-northern-america","tag-oscar-piastri","tag-pierre-gasly","tag-pit-talk","tag-push-to-pass-boost-button","tag-race-victory","tag-race-weekend","tag-rules-criticism","tag-rwandan-capital","tag-south-africa","tag-south-africa-ramps","tag-south-african-sports-minister","tag-south-korea","tag-south-eastern-asia","tag-southern-africa","tag-southern-asia","tag-sports","tag-stefano-domenicali","tag-street-circuit","tag-street-race","tag-thailand","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-upgrade-package","tag-world-championship","tag-young-african-motorsport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}