Sebastián Montoya accuses Oliver Bearman: "When he wasn't cheating, I was beating him"

At the start of this season, six new drivers appeared on the grid. Formula 1. Among them, four elements from the championship of Formula 2 of 2024, thus supporting the significant turnover that the public was able to witness, coupled with a clear generational change. Among the lot, very young shoots, such as Kimi Antonelli (18 years old), Olivier Bearman (19 years old when he arrived in F1) or Gabriel Bortoleto (20 years old), all stand out for their talent on the one hand, but also for a form of precocity in their performances.

Naturally, many drivers who have shared the track with these young champions have not had the same career path or the same success. At 20 years old, Sebastián Montoya also dreams of Formula 1. With 72 points, and a relatively promising ninth place for a second consecutive season at this stage, the Prema driver would clearly be tempted to cut corners, especially since his certainties do not tend to be confirmed by the numbers.

Asked about his chances of reaching Formula 1 in light of the experience of his former teammates, Sebastián Montoya was more than presumptuous on the subject. “To be honest, the last few weeks have proven to me that yes, it is possible. Especially when I look at this year’s rookies, developed the F2 driver with AS Colombia. Bortoleto was my teammate, I was faster than him. Antonelli was my teammate, I was much faster than him. Bearman, I raced against him, I was able to beat him… when we had more or less the same engine (laughs). When he wasn't cheating I beat him, when he was cheating, we fought.

Sebastián Montoya burns his wings

Having crossed paths with the drivers mentioned above in four separate seasons, Sebastián Montoya has, over the course of a season, never really shone against his most prestigious competitors. 11th in F4 Italy in 2020, the Colombian, for example, saw Oliver Bearman finish tenth despite only participating in three rounds that same year, before winning the championship the following year in his first full season.

Then surpassed by a sixth-placed Gabriel Bortoleto from FRECA in 2022 (Montoya having finished 13th), the son of the former Formula 1 driver also saw, the following season, the Brazilian win a title F3 during a season in which he finished 16th. Capable of great performances in the form of phenomenal spikes, the player concerned nevertheless wanted to be determined in front of his home crowd.

"When that happens to you, you say to yourself 'if they can do it, why not me?' Kimi reached the podium, but he is having a very difficult season even though he is very well prepared. I believe I can win against Kimi, he said. Hadjar meanwhile has never been eliminated in Q1, he is doing an incredible job. Bearman has already surpassed Or with…If they can, why can't I?

Victim of numerous stalls while he was actually starting from preferential positions this year, the Colombian driver has not however won a single race to this stage, and still appears a long way from the premier category of the car... Without a doubt, this recent media outing is quite striking in the midst of an F2 season that has seen the title fought out between a group of seven drivers, among which the young Sebastián Montoya has not yet taken his place.

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