Miami-born Sebastián Montoya is aiming to maximize results with PREMA Racing ahead of an “emotional” first-ever 2026 Formula 2 (F2) GP in Miami.
Following the cancellation of April’s Middle Eastern races, Round 2 of the 2026 F2 season now takes place at the Miami International Autodrome. The new addition to the calendar presents a special opportunity for Montoya, who spent much of his youth in Florida, where he began his karting career in 2013 in the Florida Winter Tour (Micro Max category).
“A really pleasant surprise”: Montoya on racing in Miami
Montoya’s season began with a mediocre P15 qualifying result in Melbourne, which he turned into P9 in both the Sprint and Feature Races, claiming two points. Now, after a long break, the Colombian-American driver is ready to bounce back, as he shared:
“It feels really nice to be here. I’m really excited. I think we’ve done a lot of work with the team since Australia to make some good progress. I think Australia was a bit of a learning weekend for us with all the changes within the off-season, understanding the good things, and the things that we need to improve on.”
Speaking about racing at the 2026 F2 Miami GP, Montoya continued: “But I’m excited to be back racing and then secondly to be back in Miami is a lot more exciting to say the least. I think it’s really cool. Obviously from one side it’s really emotional because I grew up here, I think the first time I drove a go kart was like 15 minutes away from the track.”
“So to see how far it’s actually come is amazing and obviously I dreamed of hopefully one day racing here in F1. I didn’t expect to be here in F2 but it is a really pleasant surprise.”
Getting the most out of DRS
Teams and drivers only have simulator sessions and one Free Practice to adjust to the brand-new 5.412km F2 venue before qualifying on Friday. With limited prior data, the weekend will likely reward drivers who can adapt quickly under pressure.
When asked about what the keys to the weekend will be, Montoya explained the importance of the three DRS zones: “I think the whole thing is going straight for DRS. I think that’s going to be really important for the races to make sure you can either stay in it or you try to break it.”
“I’d rather be trying to break the DRS from behind, but I think the biggest thing is making sure you can try and use the DRS to your advantage, especially for Friday.”
“You need to make sure you can string it all together, make sure you know where the points of reference are is going to be pretty important because it’s such a flowy circuit, you need to really make sure you understand where the car needs to be.”
Learning from F2 Melbourne weekend
Reflecting on the racing break since the Australian GP, the 21-year-old noted that he and PREMA Racing have reviewed their approach and are now aiming to maximize their potential.
“I think just maximising what we can do, that’s the biggest thing. In Melbourne we were in situations where we didn’t really have much to do and we just tried to maybe do a little bit too much,” shared Montoya.
He continued: “We tried to do things that were a little bit out of reach, and that impeded a little bit the results of the weekend. But I think the biggest thing is just staying in our lane. We know how good we are, we know how competitive we are and we just need to focus on that and maximise that.”
Sticking to the process
Looking ahead to the 2026 F2 Miami GP, Montoya stressed the importance of staying focused on performance and execution, despite its significance.
“Obviously, I would love to say that a win here would be super special,” he shared. “But for me, on one side it’s just another race weekend. We have 14 race weekends, and this is really special. At the same time we can’t forget what the goal is.”
“We have to keep ploughing forward as we’ve been doing since last year. I think this year we have a lot of speed, we have a lot of momentum on our side because we’ve done such a good job since last season to keep improving and making steps here and there.”
“So I think the main thing this weekend is trying to focus on what I can do and then if the first win comes, I’m not going to complain. If another podium comes, I’m not complaining either because I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said, confident that a podium finish is achievable.
“But I’m not going to be focusing too much on that. I’m just going to be focusing with the team on making sure we maximise what we have and usually when we do that it’s good enough for a pretty good result. So it’s really exciting and I’m excited for what’s coming this weekend.”
