Little did Libia Roldán and Pablo Montoya know that again on September twentieth 1975, their new child, Juan Pablo Montoya, would turn out to be the hero of a rustic. Somewhat boy whose ardour for racing introduced him to System 1 within the early 2000s. The time zone distinction was not an excuse for the Colombians to observe their most profitable driver within the pinnacle of motorsport. His identify stuffed headlines, he turned the picture of the preferred nationwide manufacturers, and his face would hold in youngsters’ rooms. He spent six years in F1, which made him well-known worldwide, and he proved that there are nonetheless data to be damaged exterior of System One.
As he handed his mid-forties, the Colombian retains being a driver and embarks on a brand new journey, the European Sequence Le Mans with the DragonSpeed USA workforce alongside his son, Sebastián Montoya. We sat with the Bogota-born driver to debate this new chapter in his intensive profession.
Welcome to Barcelona, Juan Pablo. Please inform us what it’s wish to be racing alongside your son in the identical workforce.
I don’t see Sebastian as my son right here however extra as my teammate; we deal with him equally. There are not any privileges. Final yr he did three races with us, and this yr he’s doing the entire season. We race collectively, and it’s nice enjoyable.
What did you get pleasure from most about this competitors?
Undoubtedly, with the ability to share the races with my son is unbelievable. I additionally just like the ambiance we now have on the workforce, and it’s very enjoyable and easy-going.
How do you put together for these lengthy races?
I prepare loads within the fitness center, however I’m additionally used to it. I’ve been doing this my entire life. For my son, these races are tremendous simple as he’s used to the F3 automobile, which is far more bodily and quicker, so that is simpler for him.
General it’s good enjoyable; nevertheless, it’s additionally a bit tough as a result of you have to share the automobile with the opposite three drivers, and all of us have to be joyful and agree on sure issues for the workforce’s profit.
As you talked about, right here you share the automobile with three different drivers, but in addition, with greater than 40 vehicles on observe, how do you handle all that visitors?
In these circumstances, it’s a must to be good however, on the identical time, extra aggressive. In any other case, it’s possible you’ll find yourself dropping plenty of time in visitors. It’s the identical in case you crash into somebody, so it’s about discovering the right stability between being modern and aggressive, and generally it’s laborious to succeed in that time.
And concerning technique, how does the workforce profit out of your experience?
I believe I add plenty of technical experience to the workforce as I’ve obtained plenty of expertise. I work loads throughout the weekend, however we don’t speak a lot exterior the race weekends. Final yr within the US, I was concerned loads within the automobile’s setup. I’m not obsessed or choosy a few specific side of the automobile. The circuits and the tyres are completely different, and we should adapt. We, as a workforce, goal to search out consistency as a result of we do plenty of laps throughout these races, so we have to settle for that generally we gained’t really feel comfy within the automobile.
You’ve taken half in an ideal number of motorsport competitions. Are you able to inform us one thing you want and dislike about them?
It’s fairly laborious to inform. Each class has its issues; relying on the context, you might even see it nearly as good or unhealthy. System 1 is seen because the objective for each driver, and it must be like that, however take a look at me. I left F1 as a result of I obtained bored there. Due to this fact, I do suppose it relies on the context. Nevertheless, I like System 1 these days, although. Automobiles are far more completely different, the competitors has modified loads, and I believe it’s significantly better for the present. Alternatively, I’m not sure if I’d’ve loved this period greater than the one I skilled.
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Barcelona welcomed the Colombian driver with open arms, and lots of of followers waited for a signed autograph and an image with the System 1 legend. On the Catalonia Circuit, Montoya noticed, as soon as once more, that his identify was removed from being forgotten.After a discreet first race, the American workforce awaits Le Castellet, the second spherical of a class that retains on difficult younger and skilled drivers.
