Juan Pablo Montoya defends F1 2026 with blunt ‘so boring’ V8 warning

Juan Pablo Montoya has launched a staunch defence of the F1 2026 regulations, arguing that the overtaking dynamic created has been “really good”.

At a time where FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has declared that V8 engines will return, Montoya gave an eye-opening “so boring” assessment of that era which the sport may be destined to return to.

Juan Pablo Montoya backs F1 2026 regulations over V8 nostalgia

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Formula 1’s new regulations for F1 2026 have proven polarising to say the least.

Drivers have largely been left underwhelmed by the battery-dependent nature of the new regs, especially in regards to qualifying and overtaking, as has sections of the fanbase.

It was a topic discussed on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, as 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, and seven-time grand prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya, weighed in following the Miami Grand Prix.

Hill said that he finds the F1 2026 regulations “confusing a little bit, because we don’t know when they’re deploying boost and stuff.

“Suddenly, you see an overtake. You’re used to watching racing where a guy closes down, closes down, he has a little look, and then he gets past, and then he’s off.

“But you see the pass, and then he seems to be pulling away, and then suddenly, he’s overtaken again. And you’re kind of going, ‘How did that happen?'”

“I like that,” Montoya countered.

He added: “For me, DRS was such a BS.”

To Montoya’s mind, the Drag Reduction System, the overtaking aid which ceased to be at the end of 2025, left the driver in defence powerless.

Montoya believes that this has changed with the new battery-influenced method of competition.

Hill suggested that this F1 2026 style – ‘yo-yo racing’ as some would call it – is “very new”, but “actually quite good”, even if he finds it hard to follow.

Montoya took over with: “I agree. I think it’s really good.

“Because if you see the guy’s going to pass you, you can get into recharge mode earlier, and then you have a little bit more extra energy for the next straight and you can fight your way.

“With the DRS, I always felt like you were a sitting duck. It’s a second off. A second off is a pretty decent gap, or nine tenths. And then at the end of the straight, the guy blew by you, and they go, ‘What an overtake!’ And I go, ‘What do you mean, what an overtake. He didn’t do anything. He was just sitting there.'”

These engines with their influential batteries could face a limited shelf life, however.

Formula 1 could return to V8 engines as soon as 2030. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has declaring: “It’s coming.”

Welcomed news for those wanting F1 to retrace its steps, and once again embrace the simplified, loud V8 engine era.

Allow Montoya to burst the bubble.

More on the F1 V8 engine debate from PlanetF1.com

Red Bull welcomes V8 return as FIA forces engine shake-up timeline

Toto Wolff warns F1 must not abandon electrification amid V8 talks

The Colombian raced a V10 engine for much of his F1 career. The V8s came in by 2006, that Montoya’s final half-season in the sport.

“People say, ‘Oh, your time was so good’, I say, ‘Watch a race, it’s so boring’.

“Even for us.

“It was sometimes like a short test session.”

The FIA and Formula 1 have moved to address concerns over the spectacle of F1 2026. More flat-out driving in qualifying has been encouraged by reducing the need for super clipping and battery harvesting.

The power boost in race trim has also been toned down.

For many drivers, however, this was seen as tweaks which fall short of the substantial changes required.

Said substantial change has since been announced for F1 2027, with the electrical versus internal combustion power ratio to change.

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