“Are they already teammates?”: Max Verstappen’s behavior towards Kimi Antonelli after Austrian GP crash makes Montoya suspicious

The recent speculation surrounding Max Verstappen’s immediate future have continued to stir up several analogies and deductions, and Juan Pablo Montoya appears to be the latest to weigh in on the swirling "what if" and "could be" scenarios in his recent interview. The 49-year-old highlighted his suspicion about the possibility of the Dutch driver joining Mercedes, particularly in light of his actions at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen saw his race at the Spielberg event come to an abrupt end barely three turns after it started, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli clattering into the four-time world champion. The young Italian driver, who was approaching the hills of the Styrian racetrack, appeared to brake late and subsequently locked his rear wheels before barrelling into the side of Verstappen—spelling the end of both drivers’ races.

However, while some might have expected Max Verstappen to react in a rather furious manner, the four-time world champion was largely calm about the incident and even stressed the incident was largely an unfortunate one, and that any driver could have suffered such a fate.

While the words from the Red Bull driver appeared genuinely thoughtful, Montoya has suggested it could have stemmed from Verstappen reportedly being in talks with Mercedes ahead of a potential move to the team.

Sharing his thoughts via Planet F1, the seven-time Formula 1 race winner said:

“If you wanted to read into things, why was Max so nice to Kimi after their collision? Are they already team-mates?”

Talks of Max Verstappen possibly being teammates with Antonelli have recently gained traction amid reports from Sky Sports Italia suggesting the Dutch driver is open to joining the Brackley-based outfit for the 2026 campaign. Whether this swirling rumour materializes remains something only time will reveal.

Montoya speaks on Mercedes' 2026 line-up amid Max Verstappen links

Juan Pablo Montoya also weighed in on the possible Mercedes lineup for the 2026 season amid growing Max Verstappen links. The Colombian racing icon detailed who he would include in the German outfit’s lineup for the upcoming campaign.

Montoya explained that he would preferably partner Verstappen with George Russell, despite the growing uncertainty surrounding Russell’s future at the team. Speaking in an interview, the former McLaren driver stated:

“If I was Toto [Wolff], I would actually commit to George long-term and keep Kimi in the balance as a yeah maybe. They invested a lot in George as well, and George is further along.

“With George, they did the right thing when they brought him from Williams. He developed in Williams, and then when he was ready, he was brought in — and when he was ready, he was better than Lewis [Hamilton].”

Currently, George Russell’s future at Mercedes appears to be hanging in the balance, with team principal Toto Wolff largely evading questions surrounding the 27-year-old. Whether Max Verstappen completes a move away from Red Bull, and how it affects the current driver dynamics at Mercedes, remains something only time will unveil.