British media ‘masters’ of F1: Juan Pablo Montoya sides with Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. Juan Pablo Montoya criticized the stewards and media for being overly nationalistic.

The ‘Wrong Passport’
Among the controversies that emerged during the last season, one focused on alleged favoritism toward British drivers in Formula 1. The main incidents fueling these accusations occurred during the Mexican Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen received two 10-second penalties during his battle with Lando Norris. After the race, and following criticisms from Briton Damon Hill about Max Verstappen’s driving style, the Dutchman stated he had the “wrong passport.” Max Verstappen’s father also pointed out Johnny Herbert’s presence among the race stewards, suggesting that Herbert, also British, was “sympathetic toward certain drivers” and urging the FIA to “review its stewarding personnel.”

Juan Pablo Montoya’s Accusation
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, a seven-time Grand Prix winner between 2001 and 2006 with Williams and McLaren, echoed this sentiment as the new season approaches: “I get angry when I watch F1 because it’s very biased toward British drivers,” he told *GPblog*. “They claim to be neutral, but they’re not. I enjoyed it when Max said he was born with the wrong passport and that he’s European. Imagine how hard it is to be Colombian!”

British TV Channels
Montoya also criticized the influence of British media, which has faced similar accusations, including from designer Adrian Newey, who described Sky Sports UK as ‘nationalistic.’ “I think the real question is whether FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is working to clean house,” Montoya added in comments to *Instant Casino*. “If you’re truly the body that governs the rules and oversees everything, there can’t be favoritism.

I watched the Qatar GP in English. Lando Norris didn’t slow down under yellow flags, and the commentators said, ‘It’s outrageous that he’s being penalized.’ Or if Lando makes a mistake, they say, ‘Oh, that’s very rare.’ Look at when Perez spins: from the outside, you’d wonder, ‘He spun, but he has no grip in the car. Did he really spin, or was there an issue with the car when he hit the throttle?’ Because there’s no reason for the car to malfunction after a spin. He didn’t hit anything, but British commentators automatically say, ‘He spun. It’s just a lack of talent. He shouldn’t be driving.’ When Max said he had the ‘wrong passport,’ I related to that a lot.”