High-flying Max Verstappen can 'beat anyone', claims former McLaren driver

Max Verstappen has received words of praise from former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya as the Columbian feels the Red Bull driver can beat anyone.

Talking to motorsport.com, Montoya was questioned on the chances of Max Verstappen retaining the title. According to the Colombian, Verstappen is riding a wave of confidence where he has leveled up significantly.

Addressing Verstappen's chances of winning this year, Montoya said:

"I would say they are quite high. I think Max is in a very good mental state right now. He knows he can beat anyone. When you're in that position and you have the team to do it, he's good and he's doing the job. Last year, he had to improve his game.

"If you look at Checo at the beginning of the year, he took a giant step forward. And Max had to do his best. And when he did, it was great to see."

Montoya was also quite blunt when drawing comparisons between Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez as he claimed that the Dutch driver was clearly better of the two. He said:

"If you look at the beginning of the year, when Max didn't feel comfortable and 'Checo' could drive him (at Red Bull), 'Checo' was faster than him. Is 'Checo' a better driver than Max? The truth is no. He's a very good driver but I don't think he's at Max's level. But he could drive it and Max couldn't."

Montoya praises Max Verstappen's team for the ability to develop the car through the season

The former McLaren driver was also quite impressed with the way Max Verstappen's team Red Bull was able to develop the car through the season. More often than not, something like that is not easy.

Montoya compared Red Bull to Mercedes on this front as the German team has also shown a similar trait over the season. He said:

"And that's where the team does a really good job. They understand what he needs and improve it. This is where I think it gets really cool. What Red Bull has always done well is the amount of progress they make with the car. They can really develop the car. Same as Mercedes. The development rate of the cars compared to any other team, They are in a different league."

Max Verstappen will be challenged this season by the likes of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell for the title. It will be interesting to see how he tackles the unique situation in front of him.