Montoya wins the Race of Champions in Miami

It was in Marlins Park stadium in Miami (Florida) that Juan Pablo Montoya won the Race of Champions for the first time. The former resident of Team Penske in IndyCar defeated Tom Kristensen in the final who reached the final stage of the event for the 5th time.

Despite his defeat in the qualifying rounds against Felipe Massa, the Colombian managed to qualify by beating Pascal Wehrlein and Petter Solberg. The old pilot F1 then won the quarter-finals against Travis Pastrana with 2 victories in 3 rounds, before obtaining the same performance in the semi-final against the pilot Williams and in the final against “Mister Le Mans ».

“I regret not having participated before, admitted Juan Pablo Montoya after his victory. It's not work, we really have fun here even if we try to warm up the tires and the brakes while lining up on the starting grid. I was surprised by my level of concentration. It's like qualifications. I asked David Coulthard where I should change gears before the final as I had no idea, must be beginner's luck. »

“I am proud to have reached the final, added the nine-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I may have been retired for 2 years but I don't forget that it remains my reason for living. We remain drivers and we give the best of ourselves when we are invited to the Race of Champions. You don't win if you're too careful, but you can easily make a mistake if you attack too much. »

Sebastian Vettel Petter Solberg and Alexander Red were eliminated in the qualifying rounds. Jenson Button was eliminated in the quarter-final against Tom Kristensen.

Pascal Wehrlein failed in the qualifying heats, but the Sauber driver suffered a spectacular accident while battling with Felipe Massa. The German escaped unscathed.

Pascal Wehrlein and his passenger walked away from a big crash at #ROCMiami. https://t.co/x1mXvlxydi

- Race Of Champions (@RaceOfChampions) 21th January 2017

Results of the Race of Champions in Miami