McLaren is obviously hugely delighted with being able to secure Oscar Piastri for the long-term. As a result, the competition can therefore forget about bringing in the talented Australian for the next few years.

Whether he has enjoyed them is another matter altogether. Verstappen has repeatedly made it clear that he has no plans to race into his forties like Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso, and expansions to the F1 calendar have sparked repeated complaints from the 27-year-old.

Montoya also added that if Lawson’s 2024 incidents are anything to go by, he would likely have ‘friction’ with Verstappen, warning Red Bull to be poised for team-mate drama during in 2025. "If you look at Liam, he had his run-ins with people last year and everything," Montoya told Mundo Deportivo .