Montoya agrees with the 2021 F1 world champion but reckons Perez would have been burnt to the stake twenty years ago for his wingman role in Abu Dhabi.
"It’s funny now how people look at it from that angle," Montoya told Motorsport TV.
"'Oh my God, it’s good that Checo got involved and helped Max’. And I think he did a very good job for Max.
"Twenty years ago, if the second driver did that, he would have been destroyed. And if Rubens (Barrichello) ever helped Michael (Schumacher), everyone said ‘oh my God, why are you helping Michael? You gave up a win, a position?’
"And it was a big drama at the time, whereas today they say ‘oh, he helped him, he got in the way and it was good that he did it’. Those are points of view."
Montoya was unsure why the views on teammate strategy have evolved over the years. But the Columbian believes opinions differ depending on which camp is expressing its views
"I don’t know, it’s pretty crazy," he added. "Honestly, I think if you were supporting Max you would think what ‘Checo’ did was sensational because it helped him.
"But if you were supporting Lewis or you were neutral, you would wonder why he got involved."