Sebastian Montoya and Prema were involved in one of the more unusual penalties of the Formula 2 season during the Madrid weekend, with a €500 fine issued following a clothing violation inside the restricted working lane. The incident had nothing to do with the Colombian driver’s behaviour on track or with a technical infringement on his car, but instead concerned the clothing worn by a member of his entourage near the Prema garage.
Formula 2 has already produced one particularly unusual stewarding case this year. Noel León was disqualified in Hungary because a “guest” had been using a headset equipped with a microphone, which meant that person could potentially communicate with the driver and other members of the team.
The situation involving Sebastian Montoya in Madrid was considerably less serious in sporting terms, but it was certainly another unusual application of the regulations.
Sebastian Montoya and Prema receive €500 fine in Madrid
According to the official category documents, the driver of car number 11 and Italian team Prema Racing were involved in a €500 penalty because of the “dress worn by the driver’s sister in an area designated as the working lane”.
The incident occurred during qualifying in Madrid. As was also visible during the live television broadcast, Sebastian Montoya had earlier hit the protective barriers. Despite the impact, the Colombian was able to bring his car back to the pits, giving his mechanics an opportunity to attempt repairs and potentially return the car to a condition in which it could rejoin the session.
The mechanics immediately began working on the damaged car, with time at a premium as they tried to determine whether the repairs could be completed quickly enough for Sebastian Montoya to return to the track.
Juan Pablo Montoya and family approached the car during repairs
While the Prema personnel were carrying out the repair work, Juan Pablo Montoya and other members of Sebastian Montoya’s family moved closer to the car. Their intention was to follow the work being carried out by the mechanics and understand whether the car would be able to return to the circuit.
However, the presence of family members inside that particular area resulted in a breach of Article 22.15 of the FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations. The area is classified as the working lane and is therefore subject to specific access and clothing requirements.
That infringement triggered the €500 fine connected to Sebastian Montoya and Prema.
Penalty was unrelated to Sebastian Montoya’s driving
What makes the incident particularly unusual is that the sanction was not the result of an on-track offence, unsafe driving or a technical irregularity involving the Formula 2 car. Instead, it resulted from the clothing worn by a member of the driver’s family while inside an area governed by strict working-lane regulations.
The episode therefore became one of the more distinctive stewarding decisions of the Formula 2 season, even if its sporting consequences were minor compared with Noel León’s earlier disqualification in Hungary.
Below is the official FIA stewards’ document relating to the Madrid decision.
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