Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set to make a significant leap in his racing career by stepping up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2025 with Prema Racing.
The announcement comes on the heels of a successful season in FIA Formula 3 series, where Montoya demonstrated his potential with a string of strong performances.
Prema Racing confirmed the Colombian's promotion shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 season in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
Montoya will team up with Italian driver and Alpine protégé Gabriele Minì, completing the 2025 line-up for the front-running Italian outfit in Formula 2.
Montoya’s path to F2 has been one of steady progression. After beginning his single-seater career with Prema in 2020 in the Italian F4 Championship, he quickly made his mark, finishing fourth overall in the 2021 season.
In 2022, he graduated to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine before stepping up to FIA Formula 3 full-time in 2023.
This year, in his second F3 campaign, Montoya achieved six points finishes, highlighted by a standout second-place finish in the Spa-Francorchamps feature race.
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Reflecting on his upcoming move to Formula 2, Montoya expressed both excitement and nostalgia for reuniting with the team that launched his career.
"I'm very excited to join PREMA for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season. It was the first team I worked with, and that makes it very cool to see how the team changed," Montoya said.
"It is one of the best teams in feeder series racing and now in the world. I'm delighted to join forces with it again and cannot wait to get it started."
Prema Racing has long been a dominant force in junior single-seater categories, serving as a launchpad for many drivers who have gone on to successful Formula 1 careers.
Team boss Rene Rosin shared his optimism about Montoya’s return to the team and his potential in Formula 2.
“It’s great to be working with Sebastian again. We really enjoyed the collaboration in Formula 4 and Formula Regional, and now heading into the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship, we are sure there is good potential to be put to fruition,” Rosin said.
“The step to F2 is never easy, but we are determined to prepare well together at home and in testing and build on that.”
©Instagram/SebMontoya
©Instagram/SebMontoya
Montoya’s ascent in motorsport has drawn inevitable comparisons to his father, Juan Pablo Montoya, who raced for Williams and McLaren in Formula 1 during the early 2000s, earning seven Grand Prix victories.
While Sebastian has acknowledged the inspiration he draws from his father’s career, he has also been carving his own path, joining the Red Bull Junior Team earlier this year.
His association with the Red Bull program underscores his growing reputation as one of the sport’s rising stars.
With Prema Racing’s proven track record and Montoya’s talent and determination, all eyes will be on the young Colombian as he seeks to make his mark and edge closer to his ultimate goal of reaching Formula 1, like his father.
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