Juan Pablo Montoya calls on Red Bull to ban Max Verstappen from racing in GT3. The Dutchman drove during qualifying at the Nürburgring, but a fatal accident occurred where driver Juha Miettinen died. According to Montoya, this incident should be reason enough to ban Verstappen. “An accident can happen where he breaks his arm or leg, or something happens,” said Montoya.
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Max Verstappen is also competing in this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours in addition to Formula 1. During the first race of the NLS5, Finnish driver Juha Miettinen crashed, which immediately shows how dangerous this class and the circuit are. The race was not resumed that day, but the next day, after a memorial for Miettinen, racing continued. Juan Pablo Montoya believes Red Bull faces a difficult choice. “Whether they will do it and whether they should do it are two different things. I feel that Red Bull will not forbid him anything at the moment, because they are afraid of losing him,” Montoya said in the MontoyAS-podcast.
‘Enough reasons’
According to the Colombian, the Austrian racing team should indeed forbid Verstappen this, especially with the risk that something could happen. “100 percent, no 200 percent, if you look at it from the team’s perspective. An accident can happen where he breaks his leg or arm. The money Red Bull has invested in him should be enough reason to tell him: ‘We gave you the opportunity, but because of this accident, we have to reconsider and we think this shouldn’t happen’,” said Montoya. “If I were the boss of Red Bull Racing, I would have called Max and told him: ‘Don’t get in that car anymore.'”
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Unfortunately, these incidents happen, and that’s why the former Formula 1 driver believes Verstappen’s team should always remain vigilant. On the other hand, Montoya finds it beautiful to see what the Dutchman unleashes in this class. “It’s something I think they should reconsider. I was invited several times during my career to drive rally cars, to do tests, and I would have loved it, but the team never let me drive. It’s a big investment as a team in a driver, and you have to protect him,” Montoya stated.
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