Follow us on Google Discover Max Verstappen is, in the opinion of most experts, the strongest driver in Formula 1 right now. But Juan Pablo Montoya believes one of his competitors can reach the same level.
Verstappen is still just about in championship contention, 63 points adrift of leader Oscar Piastri with six rounds and three Sprints to go. His chances of a record-equalling fifth consecutive title are small.
But he’s still arguably been the standout performer on this year’s grid. McLaren have romped to the constructors’ title, yet Verstappen has bagged more poles (six) than any other driver.
He’s also won four races, which puts him just one behind Lando Norris. One wonders whether anyone else on the grid could have stayed in touch in the RB21, even if McLaren say that the gap is smaller than it appears.
Juan Pablo Montoya says George Russell can reach Max Verstappen’s level
George Russell is only one spot behind Verstappen in the standings. He took his second victory of the season with a perfect weekend in Singapore.
Russell has outscored teammate Kimi Antonelli 237-88 and is responsible for eight of Mercedes’ nine podiums. He’s finished ahead in 34 of the 37 competitive sessions where both have been classified.
Antonelli is a somewhat raw rookie whose form has been topsy-turvy. But even outside that context, Russell’s performances have been impressive – he has finished 15 out of 18 races in the top five.
This robotic consistency is reminiscent of Verstappen, and Montoya has called for Mercedes to give Russell ‘whatever he wants’ in the ongoing contract negotiations because he can be just as good as the four-time world champion.
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“I don’t know what Toto [Wolff] is thinking,” Montoya told AS Colombia. “George is showing that they don’t need Max because they already have Russell, who can be as good as Max in the future.
“The only thing this is demonstrating is that they need to guarantee Russell’s future. The way he’s doing it, he’s forcing Mercedes‘ hand to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to have to give him whatever he wants’.
“He’s won two races this year with a car that theoretically had no way of winning.”
Jenson Button already thinks George Russell is matching Max Verstappen
It’s worth noting that Russell is only five months younger than Verstappen. But by the time he made it to the front of the grid with Mercedes in 2022, the latter was already a champion in his seventh season with Red Bull.
Russell has shown clear progress every year. He comprehensively outperformed the departing Lewis Hamilton last season and Wolff has now praised him for emerging as the team leader alongside Antonelli.
Jenson Button says Russell has been as good as anyone in 2025, including Verstappen. The irony, of course, is that Mercedes have been trying to sign the Red Bull superstar.
Ralf Schumacher suspects there’s ‘unrest’ between Russell and Wolff due to the rather public pursuit of Verstappen. There’s no longer any doubt that he’ll sign a new deal, but the question is how many years will be guaranteed.