As six rounds remain, PREMA Racing’s Sebastián Montoya spoke to F2 about his rookie season and progress in 2025 thus far. The Colombian driver started his season off strong with points in Melbourne, but would spend two rounds scoring none. Headed into the European leg of the calendar, Montoya has evidently found some momentum and performance. His rookie F2 campaign marked his return to the Italian-suit. With three podium-finishes since his first in Monaco, the 20 year-old has delivered some impressive Qualifying performances and drives.
Facing tough competition in F2
In 2025, F2 saw 13 drivers graduate and make the step up from F3. However, Montoya was one of four drivers to make their F2 debut in Melbourne. Scoring points right from the get-go, the PREMA driver impressed many. Montoya quickly admitted that some of his results have fallen short of expectations. However, remained positive about the pace he’s shown. Aware that this year’s F2-to-F1 rookies have set a high benchmark, the Colombian knows he must continue performing at a top level. Despite a few mistakes, the PREMA driver reflected fondly on his rookie season so far.
Montoya candidly admitted: “One thing I will say is that some people will say it’s not the season I wanted,”
“Obviously, the results – I’m not gonna lie about that, because we’ve been mega quick, and we haven’t really gotten the points and results that we wanted. But everything else has been super positive.”
“I’m gonna be honest, Formula 2 is super challenging. The level of the drivers is super high. All the rookies that went up to F1, they’re performing at a very high level. So obviously F2 prepares you for the future in the best way possible.”
“Although we’ve had a few issues here and there, and a few mistakes as well from my side, I’ve really had a great time this year.”
Dug deep for consistency
In the last two years, the Colombian completed two full seasons in F3—finishing P16 and P17 in the Standings. Montoya explained that he built momentum at the end of last year by overcoming mental challenges and has since found greater consistency.
“At the end of last year, I was coming on quite strong in F3 and that was down to the mentality that I had, to learn throughout the year.”
“Last year, I made a change in myself and the mentality that I wanted to have, and it was a difficult change. I obviously had to go through difficulties and ups and the downs, and at the end of the year, found a lot of consistency in myself.”
He credited his performance boost to personal growth, noting that increased maturity and hard work off track has changed him for the better.
“I think the work outside the track, the work at the track, and the work at home, the mentality, the maturity, the growth in myself, has really developed a lot. I would say, from last year, November to right now, I’ve changed a lot, not only as a driver, but as a person, and I’ve absolutely loved it.
“And then I had to translate that and adapt to F2 which was pretty difficult, because F2, as I said before, you have to perform at a very high level continuously, and errors make a big difference.”
Motivated to strive for better
Montoya explained how he had to learn some lessons the hard way. Sharing that since December, changes in his life have helped him appreciate racing more than ever, making the whole experience ever more fruitful.
“I’ve learned that the hard way as well. But it’s coming down to what works for me best, adapting and having the courage to try different things and be honest with yourself and tell yourself what’s actually important, what actually benefits you, and what you need to focus on.”
“From December to now, a lot of changes have happened in my life, and I am so happy. It’s really nice because I’ve started to enjoy driving a lot more. And it’s not that I didn’t before, but right now, it’s just another step, and it’s just so much fun.”
Whilst he is enjoying his time in F2, Montoya is confident about his progress. Loving the challenge of performing at a high level, the Colombian remains focused on the hard work he continues to put in and believes, soon enough, more results will follow.
“I’m having a lot of fun. I love what I do, and I love to perform at a very high level. And I feel like I’m doing that, and I’m getting better at it, and as the season goes on, my goal is just to keep on working and bring the results that I know that will come.”
Rewarded for hard work
Seeing the progress from his hard work, Montoya expressed how it has made his journey more rewarding. While he’s noticed signs of improvement, he emphasised the importance of staying self-critical and continuing to focus on areas where he can grow.
Montoya said: “When you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s a lot easier to spend six hours in the gym, three hours on the sim, looking at videos, looking at data.”
“It also brings a little bit more joy, because you start to see the hard work that you’re putting in, the effort that you’re putting in, and how hard you’re working for it – you see the positive side of that.”
“There’s been signs here and there. I think what we have to change is realise that we’re no longer where we were, and it’s really important to still be critical about things, and to focus on different areas that I need to improve.”
Open-minded approach to season
Acknowledging the importance of staying composed in F2, the PREMA driver knows consistency and finishing races are crucial at the end of the day. He emphasised that learning remains a key part of his journey. Explaining how he has approached each weekend with an open mind, Montoya learnt how it has allowed him to explore new ways to improve and maximised his performance.
“Maybe sometimes it’s better to control yourself, because F2 is a super competitive Championship, and you have to score points, you have to finish the races, and you have to be able to maximise every weekend.”
“I feel like even at the end of last year I was learning massively. So this year I feel like I’m still learning, and the more you learn about the car, the more possibilities and different ways of exploring these different opportunities leads to different roads.”
“I’ve always tried to keep my mind open this year to see the different possibilities of everything and the different ways of doing everything to make sure I maximise what I need to maximise to do a good job.”
