F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Montoya hopes son one day battles with Verstappen in F1

Former Grand Prix driver Juan Pablo Montoya hopes his young son Sebastian makes it up the ladder to F1 and one day battles with Max Verstappen.

Sixteen-year-old Sebastian Montoya, who was born and grew up in Florida where he raced karts from an early age, made his single-seater debut last year with the Prema Powerteam in the Italian F1 championship, an endeavor that yielded an eleventh place in the standings.

But the young Columbian who switched to the ADAC F4 series this year with Prema is currently second in the standings and gaining momentum.

And Montoya Sr, who raced against Jos Verstappen in F1, believes 'Seb' could be the next driver's son to compete in Formula 1.

"That would be cool! You never know. We’ll see," Montoya told Motorsport.com. "Max and Sebastian are a bit alike. They are both real racers.

"They want to overtake people, they don’t sit around waiting, and they do whatever it takes to get the job done."

The former Williams and McLaren driver who achieved seven wins F1 as well as two triumphs in the Indy 500, currently competes in the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, driving for Acura Meyer Shank Racing.

But in between his own races, Montoya keeps a watchful eye on his son's progress although he insists that Sebastian also needs to be on his own.

"I try to be at as many races as possible," he said. "Sometimes that’s not easy, because some races coincide with my own races and other things I do.

"But although I try to be there for him a lot, I also think it’s important that he manages without me and can solve problems without me.

"If he needs something from me, then of course I am there for him. But in the end, he’s the one who has to do it. We’ll see how far he gets. But he’s extremely fast and very talented."

Although Sebastian Montoya appears to be a chip off the old block, his father reckons that he's actually better than himself .

"He does a lot of things better than me, and he is much smarter than me, which by the way is not that hard!" joked Montoya Sr.

"But he is a really good racer. He is very good at defending and overtaking. His racing skill is unbelievable. I am very proud.”

"We are mainly focusing on what we are doing now. If an opportunity comes along [to join a Formula 1 junior academy], then that’s great, but for now it’s not something that has our priority. Sebastian has a championship to run."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

McLaren to review Sunday's fateful pit stop timing

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the squad has no regrets about its…

8 mins ago

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

1 hour ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

2 hours ago

Sainz left puzzled by double crash drama in rainy São Paulo

Carlos Sainz was left scratching his head after a disastrous Sunday at the Sao Paulo…

3 hours ago

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

4 hours ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

19 hours ago