Sebastián Montoya believes PREMA Racing can take significant encouragement from their 2026 performance in Montreal after the Colombian charged from 18th on the grid to finish fifth in a chaotic F2 Feature Race.
After a difficult Qualifying session compromised his starting position, Montoya produced a calm and intelligent recovery drive around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Multiple incidents, Safety Cars and changing tyre strategies created a demanding race environment, yet the PREMA driver avoided trouble and steadily climbed through the field to secure a valuable double-digit points haul.
Moreover, the result represented a major improvement for both Montoya and PREMA following a disappointing weekend in Miami, with the Colombian particularly encouraged by the progress the team made with the car balance ahead of Round 3.
Montreal provides tough but enjoyable F2 challenge for Montoya and PREMA Racing
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve presented drivers with constant challenges throughout the weekend, especially during the Feature Race where tyre management and survival became crucial factors. However, despite the difficult conditions and unpredictable race, Montoya admitted he thoroughly enjoyed his first experience racing in Montreal.
“It was quite cold, but besides that, it was quite fun,” he explained to Formula 2. “It was a very, very difficult race. I think it was really easy to make mistakes, and I was just doing what I could.”
Montoya revealed that PREMA struggled during the opening phase of the race on the option tyres, making the early laps particularly difficult. Even so, the Colombian remained patient and focused on maximising every opportunity available as chaos unfolded around him.
“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.”
PREMA pit stop proves decisive
As the race developed, strategy and execution inside the pit lane became increasingly important. Montoya credited PREMA Racing for delivering under pressure during one of the busiest moments of the race.
“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 PREMA crew responded brilliantly, helping Montoya gain valuable track position during the crucial pit sequence. Montoya believes that moment ultimately played a defining role in securing his top-five finish.
“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.”
The strong teamwork highlighted PREMA’s ability to respond positively after earlier struggles this season.
Montoya reflects on fighting through difficult conditions in 2026 Montreal F2 Feature Race
Although the pit stop helped transform his race, Montoya still faced challenges during the closing stages after switching to the Prime tyres following the restart. Despite lacking outright pace during that phase of the race, the Colombian continued fighting for positions while carefully avoiding mistakes.
“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.”
However, conditions gradually improved for Montoya later in the stint, allowing him to become more competitive as the race approached its conclusion.
“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.”
Consequently, Montoya converted a difficult weekend into one of his strongest results of the campaign so far.
Valuable progress for PREMA
Although satisfied with fifth place, Montoya admitted that additional laps could potentially have allowed him to challenge for even more positions. Due to repeated Safety Car interruptions, the race reached the time limit before completing the scheduled 39 laps.
“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.”
Even so, the Colombian recognised that securing a top-five result after starting 18th represented a strong recovery effort. More importantly, Montoya left Montreal encouraged by the progress PREMA made between Miami and Canada after a difficult Round 2 weekend.
“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.”
He also praised the engineering team for helping move the car into a more competitive operating window.
“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.”
That improvement gives both driver and team optimism heading into the next phase of the Formula 2 season.
Confidence growing ahead of Monaco
Montoya believes PREMA still has further progress to make, but the Colombian remains confident that the team is moving in the right direction. After enjoying his time in Canada, Montoya now turns his attention towards the unique challenge of Monaco.
“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.”
The PREMA driver expects a very different style of racing in Monte Carlo compared to the overtaking-heavy weekends in recent rounds. Nevertheless, Montoya insisted that both he and the team will continue pushing for improvement regardless of the circumstances.
“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.”
He also expressed gratitude towards the PREMA engineers and mechanics for their continued belief and support throughout the season.
“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.”
As Monaco approaches, Montoya made it clear that PREMA will continue fighting for every possible result.
“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.”
With confidence steadily increasing and signs of progress becoming clearer, Montoya and PREMA head to Monaco determined to build on their encouraging Montreal recovery.
