Montoya: McLaren will have to negotiate with Alpine somehow

Juan Pablo Montoya, a former Formula 1 driver who has also been quite successful in series like IndyCar and NASCAR, commented on the situation in the World Cup teams ahead of the second part of the season.

Responding to the question of the American online publication Vegas Insider about the decision of Fernando Alonso, who signed a contract with Aston Martin F1 and at the same time does not give up the dream of a third title, Montoya said: “It is not easy to realize his dream , but we must remember that if the Formula 1 team has not had a good season this season, it does not mean that the next two years will also be bad.

I think Alonso has signed a contract designed for more than one season. This was a key condition under which he was ready to leave Alpine, as Alpine placed a bet on Oscar Piastri, so they offered Fernando to extend the deal for just one year.

And at that point, another team offered him, I don’t know, a contract of two years or even longer, and he made a decision. This is a good move. You know, Mercedes has always had good engines and Aston Martin knows how to build pretty decent cars. If all this is combined, despite the fact that the team has all the necessary infrastructure and a normal budget, they can succeed.

I think they want to win in the long run and Fernando believes he can help them. I think he’s been given a great opportunity.”

The Colombian also shared his understanding of the scandalous story surrounding Oscar Piastri: “If McLaren really wants to get him, they will have to spend a lot of money. I put my two cents on this development.

Apparently they will have to negotiate with Alpine somehow and pay Daniel Riccardo a large sum so that he leaves the team. However, if they have money and they think it’s all worth it, they will take such steps.

Otherwise it will be a completely different story, so I guess this whole saga isn’t over yet. But the situation is not easy, because if you tell Daniel that we are ready to buy out your contract, and you are free to move to another team, he will. But what will happen next?

I believe that Ricciardo is the main candidate for a place in Alpine. And I think this team will benefit from getting a rider who has experience with her. Esteban Ocon is a pretty fast kid in my opinion, but maybe still young – I think the team needs a leader who will lead her, point her in the right direction when working with the car and stuff.

I think Daniel is the best rider who can get free agent status, so the best choice for Alpine is to sign a contract with him. It is unlikely that he will be ready to end his career this way if he is kicked out of Formula 1…”

Speaking of Ferrari, Juan Pablo Montoya emphasized that Mattia Binotto is not responsible for the team’s problems: “Ferrari still has the fastest car, but they just don’t use it. And it’s not Mattia’s fault, because he’s not responsible for the strategy. Everyone blames him, but criticism is out of place. I don’t think it’s him who gives the order to put hard rubber on the car. This is what strategists do, they get very high salaries and have to make all these decisions.

At Red Bull it’s not Adrian Newey or Christian Horner. All decisions are made by strategists. At the same time, it is the job of the racers to show the highest possible speeds behind the wheel of the car. Often they don’t even know what kind of tires they will put on the pit stop. I think in the Scuderia everything is organized quite tightly: the riders have to work with what they get – that’s all.

The riders may doubt the correctness of the decisions, but they don’t make the decisions. Ferrari strategists are probably not analyzing the information collected during practice well enough, because then the effectiveness of the tires is tested.

So it’s not Mattia’s fault, but those responsible for the strategy. I think the team will have a serious discussion on this topic. Binotto is unlikely to want to switch specialists midway through the season. It is important that the team takes the right measures now. I think they need to stop the practice of making tactics decisions so uncertainly – they need to act more aggressively.

At the same time, the Colombian believes Charles Leclerc will be the favorite for the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix: “I’m ready to bet on Charles. I usually think Max Verstappen has a better chance of winning, but the circuit in Spa suits Ferrari better.

This track has a fast character and the Scuderia has a very fast car. However, Red Bull is also capable of a fast pace and Sergio Perez could excel at this track. Max will also be in the leading group, but now my preferences are still on the side of Charles and Ferrari.

I think we have an interesting race ahead as Mercedes is also preparing major updates for their car. Ferrari wants to prove everyone wrong by criticizing them, but for that you have to win the race. And Max has to choose the right tactics and not allow himself to relax, because he may decide that in the Spa it will be enough to just earn points.