Juan Pablo Montoya questions praise for Max Verstappen after Miami Grand Prix spin

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Max Verstappen might have been fortunate to end up fifth in the Miami Grand Prix after spinning on the opening lap. That was Juan Pablo Montoya’s view of how things played out.

The Dutchman started on the front row next to Kimi Antonelli, feeling much more at ease with his car after Red Bull rolled out a series of upgrades for the race.

As they reached turn one, Verstappen lined up alongside Antonelli and Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver got ahead, and soon after that Verstappen lost control and spun right in front of the field.

He managed to avoid contact and stayed on track. While Martin Brundle called it “absolute genius” and Jolyon Palmer praised his skill, Montoya saw it differently.

Juan Pablo Montoya calls Max Verstappen’s Miami Grand Prix spin ‘pure luck’

Speaking on F1TV after the race, Palmer was full of praise for Verstappen’s car control, noting how well he handled a tricky situation early on.

“Yeah. I think he’s got such a skill set at spinning cars and get it going again at the right point,” Palmer said.

Montoya saw it differently, questioning whether skill played any part. “You say that’s talent?” he asked. When Palmer stood by his view, Montoya replied: “I thought it was pure luck.”

Palmer explained his reasoning: “When you do it as often as Max, you have to say it’s talent. Spinning car, obviously, your scenery is changing all the time.” Montoya replied: “Yeah. But the car always spins and then it slows down.”

“But not always straightforward though,” Palmer added. “Very rarely. You got, what, 10 degrees of 360 for it to be nicely forward? So you’ve got the brake pedal, you got the steering and the clutch. All of it you can release at the right time. And Max just does it.”

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Verstappen ended up fifth, having overtaken late on despite picking up damage from a spin. He was handed a time penalty for crossing the pit exit line, but with Leclerc also penalised, Verstappen kept his place.