Going big in Miami: Sebastián Montoya’s dream race weekend

Sebastián Montoya was in attendance for the Miami Grand Prix earlier this season and the experience clearly made an impact on the Campos Racing driver.

The Colombian takes inspiration from the race this year but adds his own twist on proceedings to create what would be his ideal race weekend.

Here is what he came up with…

WHERE WOULD THE RACE BE HELD?

“So for me, I think Miami. The Miami track – I went there this year with Red Bull, and I really liked it. I like the atmosphere and the environment, I grew up there so I would say it’s my hometown Miami.”

WHAT WOULD THE TRACK LOOK LIKE?

“The only thing I’d change on the Miami track – at the end of the first sector it’s really long, the corners make it quite hard to follow. So, I’d try to change it to make it a bit straighter or to open up the entries a lot more so you can pass, and I’d bring the walls a lot closer so you make it a bit more difficult. High risk and high reward. That would make it really cool.”

DAY OR NIGHT RACE?

“I would make it at night, and I’d probably make it like in Las Vegas, so on Saturday night. Because for the teams, it’s really difficult to fly the next day, Monday is always a difficult day so let them have the Sunday off.”

WHAT TYRES WOULD YOU BRING?

“I’d bring the softest you can, especially for Qualifying because you want it to be exciting and you want them to switch on fast, and also because it’s at night, I don’t think degradation would be that big, Qualifying would have to be at night too.

“I’d also bring the hardest tyre, so the C1, C3 and C5 so there’s a big gap between the tyres and the strategy opportunities are a bit bigger. That would be what I’d bring.”

READ MORE: Storming around central London: Matías Zagazeta’s dream race weekend

WHO WOULD YOU INVITE AS YOUR GUESTS FOR THE WEEKEND?

“I’d have to say – I’m playing a lot of golf at the moment so I’m gonna pick Tiger Woods. I don’t know if he’s a racing fan much, but I’d bring him. J Balvin, a Colombian, he loves F1, massive fan. Also Bad Bunny, also a bit more for the Latino culture. LeBron James, you have to bring the king for sure. Michael Jordan. And Tom Cruise, he loves F1. Brad Pitt because he’s making the movie, he can come as well. Taylor Swift too so she brings the Swifties! That’s important, you need fans. She’s doing the concert before the race.”

WHAT WOULD THE TROPHIES LOOK LIKE?

“I would make them like palm trees, with the sun behind them and I’d do them in gold, silver and bronze. And depending on where you finished, the sun is higher or lower. Bronze it would be lowest, silver in the middle and gold it would be at the top.”

WHAT WOULD THE PODIUM LOOK LIKE?

“I’d do it inside the stadium where the paddock is, and I’d do it like in Mexico where they lift the car up but I’d do all three. So parc ferme, you park up, have the interview there and then they lift them up and then I’d have all the teams at the bottom, and have the fans inside the stadium too.”

ANYTHING ELSE?

“I think the key factor for the weekend is that you can use DRS anywhere. If you’re the first car you can’t, but the gap is opened up to a second and a half for DRS and you can use it anywhere around the track as long as you’re within a second and a half. That way you can get a bit closer. And the moment you pass another car, the other car gets DRS, and you don’t. It’s the first car that doesn’t get DRS.

“That would be the first thing I’d change. The second would be Qualifying one by one. Each car goes one after the other, but the twist is that it’s an inverted result from the last FP. FP3 finishes and 20th goes first, so they go first for a first push lap and then you’re in and the next car goes, just to keep the action going constantly.

“And I’d do double points because it’s Miami and it would make it a bit more special. F2 and F3 also have to be there! It’s good because it’ll be a night race, so everyone in F2 and F3 can get a bit more sleep!”