Montoya Urges F1 Grid to Recreate Verstappen's Kart Challenge – 'Just Turn Off the Cameras'

Juan Pablo Montoya has a radical idea for F1's drivers: ditch the media, jump in rental karts and race each other with no cameras rolling. The former Williams and McLaren driver wants the current grid to stage its own version of Max Verstappen's 'Max vs 100' challenge – but without any record of who wins.

Why it matters:

Montoya believes an unscripted, off-camera kart race would give drivers something F1 rarely offers: pure, consequence-free fun. It would also strip away the PR-driven dynamics of the paddock and let genuine competitive instincts take over.

The details:

Verstappen's event took place at a made-for-the-challenge kart track at Silverstone, with 100 competitors ranging from content creators to journalists and presenters. Starting from P101, the four-time champion had 30 laps to work through the field – and needed just 14 laps and 35 minutes to do it. Montoya praised the concept, noting Red Bull's history of similar overtaking challenges in the mountains and snow. "It is interesting to see how a driver handles that," he said. "They can drive fast, of course, but they can't just drive everyone off the track."

The bigger idea:

Montoya's suggestion goes further than a solo challenge. "Put all the current drivers in a rental kart and see who would win," he said on his MontoyAS show. "Just turn off the cameras and don't record anything at all. If you then give them the karts, they would have a huge amount of fun." He called it "really cool" and "really good for them" – a rare chance for drivers to bond away from team politics.

What's next:

Verstappen joked about a 'Max vs 200' sequel, but a full-grid rental kart race remains a fantasy. Whether any driver takes up Montoya's suggestion is unclear – but the idea has already sparked plenty of conversation.