PREMA Racing’s Sebastián Montoya has not had an ideal start to the 2025 Lusail F2 Round at the Qatar GP. After what a challenging Sprint Race, he concluded that his P4 finish was the best result he could realistically have achieved, having started P5 after qualifying fifth on Friday with a lap time of 1:36.741, just 0.626s behind pole-sitter Oliver Goethe.
A “fun” start dampened by wheelspin
Montoya’s Sprint began to unravel in the opening laps. Determined to gain positions early on, he instead suffered wheelspin off the line, forcing him to watch the drivers ahead battle for places without being able to join the fight—an opportunity he admitted he wished he’d had.
As the top four fought for track position, Montoya focused on managing his tyres—an essential element at the high-speed Lusail circuit, where tyre preservation heavily influences overtaking opportunities.
“The start was fun, Alex [Dunne] was fighting with Staněk, and Villagómez was fighting with Tsolov, but I was just watching, I got a good start, but then I had a bit of wheelspin. They went three or four wide into the first corner and then I just saw Rafa [Villagómez] for the rest of the race.”
Montoya’s observations on an “interesting last lap” battle
Towards the end of the race, once the safety car period ended, Rafael Villagómez mounted yet another attempt to overtake Nikola Tsolov—continuing the duel that had run for most of the race. The pair engaged in another fierce exchange, which eventually saw Tsolov pushed into the gravel after Villagómez retaliated.
Watching from P5, Montoya described the incident as intriguing, noting that only Tsolov ended up off track.
“Sometimes he’d get a bit sideways, he went off and then the last lap was interesting. I thought they were both going to crash, but then only one of them went off.”
Importance of tyre management
The Colombian driver also highlighted the distinctive characteristics of the Lusail circuit. With its high-speed corners, long straights, and demanding environmental conditions, tyre management becomes a defining factor in race strategy. Montoya explained that most drivers would preserve their tyres early in the Sprint Race to attack later.
“I think the biggest thing is the tyre management. I thought there was a better opportunity to be taking, that’s why we saw a lot of drivers opening up a gap and then closing back down again. But being such a high-speed circuit, the tyres can just overheat, especially when you’re following really closely”.
“I had a few opportunities where I got close, but never close enough. You try and always think about what could be, future opportunities but also tyre management, and that tomorrow is the important race.”
Montoya added that he and PREMA Racing would analyse tyre degradation and incorporate their findings into their approach for Sunday’s longer F2 Feature Race at the 2025 Qatar GP, which offers significantly more points.
“Today was for learning a baseline for tomorrow. We’ll adapt the car, see what works and try and figure out what will work for tomorrow.”
“You can’t overtake here easily. The front left tyre drops quite a lot. Here, being such a high-speed circuit, so many right-hand corners, you put a lot of energy into the front left. Trying to manage the front left whilst managing the rears is going to be crucial for tomorrow, especially with the temperatures being higher tomorrow.”
Track temperatures and the race start potential challenges
Another challenge Montoya identified was managing tyre temperatures in the opening laps. In the hot, humid conditions of the Lusail International Circuit, controlling tyre temperature becomes a key factor in the initial push at the race start and can significantly affect a driver’s entire stint.
Montoya explained that extending the first stint could open up better strategy options, including the possibility of an overcut—an approach he intends to replicate after its success at the 2025 Monza GP.
“I think trying to maximise the tyres like at Monza. If you can make it last a little bit longer than everyone else, you can have a good advantage. It’s hard to put the heat into the tyres, the main thing you have to do is bring them in as quickly as possible without damaging them.”
“If you can extend one more lap and then pit after someone in front of you, overcutting them, that’s the best possibility you have. In the end, if you’re following, it’s about trying to have the tyres drop less and then taking any opportunities you have.”
