Red Bull has been irritated by Verstappen's loss of a race victory, pole position, and fastest lap point so far this season due to penalties.

After the Portuguese Grand Prix, when Verstappen's fastest lap time was erased due to a big moment, its motorsport advisor Helmut Marko proposed that F1 should adapt its approach to dealing with track limits.

Juan Pablo Montoya, a seven-time Formula One champion, says he shares fans' enthusiasm for this year's head-to-head fight between Hamilton and Verstappen, but claims the controversy over track limits is overshadowing the race.

Montoya said exclusively to Motorsport.tv Live about the F1 title race: "I think it's great. I think it's great for TV to have, especially two teams going at it."

He continues, "I think F1 in the last couple years was missing that a little bit. Having the two, Red Bull and Mercedes, go at it like that, it's been a lot of fun."

He adds, "But I would say it's been a little too controversial with the track limits. I know they're trying to make the tracks safer with runoffs and everything, but it's so hard to control, and [understand] why sometimes it's right and [sometimes] it is wrong. When it's a judgement call, it's very difficult. I don't envy the stewards of F1 dealing with this."

However, Montoya claims that Red Bull's anger at obtaining track limit penalties is fueling the team's determination to beat Mercedes.

He says, "I'm excited because I think it's just raising the anger level at Red Bull, "They really want to beat Mercedes really, really bad, and that just makes it cool to watch. You know, Marko is not a guy with a lot of patience and I wouldn't think Max is either, so if they get a chance to go for it, they will."

Montoya, on the other hand, assumes Hamilton's abilities, combined with the kind of luck he had at Imola when a red flag saved him from being lapped after he ran off course, would make him a difficult opponent for Verstappen to beat.

He concludes, "Look at Imola, he [Hamilton] made a huge mistake, and went off the racetrack. And he is lucky enough that they red flag the race, he gets in the right position, and he takes advantage of those opportunities and finished second. So how do you beat Lewis when you have that amount of luck and talent? It is very difficult."