Interview
Montoya: ‘Montreal fightback a credit to PREMA’s hard work behind the scenes’
Sebastián Montoya says he and PREMA Racing can be happy with the top five result they achieved in a chaotic Montreal Feature Race having been compromised from a tough Qualifying result.
The Colombian lined up P18 on the grid but with a smart race and impressive performance on a day where plenty hit trouble, he achieved a stellar recovery drive into a double-digit points haul.
Speaking in the paddock afterwards, the PREMA driver says he was pleased to have fought back from a setback on Friday and added it had been a fun weekend visiting the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the first time.
“It was quite cold, but besides that, it was quite fun,” he explained. “It was a very, very difficult race. I think it was really easy to make mistakes, and I was just doing what I could.
“On options, we struggled quite a lot. And the main thing there was just to survive. We had a pretty terrible start but then after that, we just did what we could. We came into the box and it was quite clear that it was going to be a good, hard-fought race in the pit lane with so many cars stopping.
“The team did an amazing job. I was able to attack the pit position quite well and gain a little bit of time there. And then the mechanics did an amazing pit stop. That's where I think the difference for the race was. Props to the team. They've done a hard job there and it paid off really well.
“Then after the restart with the Prime, we struggled a bit. That first part of the stint, I struggled quite a lot. It was just about mitigating what we could. I tried to fight for some positions, but we just didn't have the pace.
“When it was coming back to me, we were quite competitive. And in the end, I was able to make up a couple of positions and keep my nose clean.”
Montoya wound up P5 but believes more could have been on the table if the race had run longer. With the multiple Safety Car periods, the race ran to time rather than the full 39-lap scheduled distance, though he is unsure where he would have ended up.
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More importantly, the Colombian driver was encouraged by the work PREMA had done in the gap between Miami and Montreal to get the car in a better window following a tough weekend in Round 2.
“I think if we had a little more racing at the end, I could have fought Tsolov and Duerksen. I don't know if we had the pace to fight for the podium. But in the end, we just kept our nose clean and did the best job we could.
“I'm happy that we were able to be in the top five. It's been a damage limitation sort of weekend after qualifying. The engineers made a step forward with the balance. Miami was really disappointing and then this weekend, it seemed like we were a little bit closer.
“We have the speed and we just need to keep working. We need to make sure we do our things right. So really happy with how it turned out. I had a really fun time here in Canada.”
Looking ahead to Round 4 in Monte Carlo, the PREMA driver says that he is looking forward to the challenge the famed street circuit presents.
He added he’s confident that the team can continue on their upward trajectory, but would be fighting for every position no matter what.
“Next up is Monaco where I don't know how much overtaking is going to happen, but after these past two weekends, we've been spoiled with how much fun it is to overtake. And I've had a lot of fun.
“I would say whatever is meant to happen will happen. We're just going to keep working. I'm really grateful for the result we had in Montreal. I'm grateful that I have a really good group of engineers and mechanics around me that believe in me and push me to go forward.
“Whatever happens in Monaco, just know that we'll be working as hard as I can and they can as well to bring the best result.”