Juan Pablo Montoya and son Sebastián dream of F1: 'He has everything'

Father Juan Pablo (48) is busy video calling. He gestures: 'Two minutes, then I'm ready.' Meanwhile, Sebastián (19) sits next to him in the Campos Racing Formula 3 team's truck, quietly waiting for the interview with GPblog. If first impressions were to be instant reality, Sebastián looks calm and timid, whereas Juan Pablo is still known for his always outspoken opinions. So opposites they seem, but on the track they do have something in common: they both can seriously be quick.

Juan Pablo as a coach and mentor to Sebastián

It's an almost inseparable duo; when Sebastián has to race in F3, father Juan Pablo is always there. "It's quite cool," says Sebastián, as soon as his father disconnects online. "Obviously, it comes with its benefits and downsides, but honestly, for me, it's mostly about the upsides of my dad knowing what it takes and what I have to improve on. It's really easy for us to talk about things because he understands it as well. When I was younger, it was difficult to swallow that pill. But as you get older, you start to understand it."

Father Montoya jumps in and says there are good days and bad days in between, but that everything is in pursuit of the one goal: to reach the absolute top. "I think he's mature enough that he gives himself a harder time than I do. I think he's very critical of himself which is good to see," states Juan Pablo, who agrees that in theory, private and sporting matters can mix. Sebastián says: "I think we do a good job separating that. I think that's something that I had to learn from a very young age and he learned as well, is that when we're at the track it's not really father son but it's more driver and coach."

Following in the footsteps of Jos and Max Verstappen?

Those seem to be the roles Jos and Max Verstappen also had in the past, but Montoya Sr says there is now a significant difference. "If he [Sebastián] gets to F1, it would change a little because at that point I can still help, but a lot less because his knowledge gets better. As his knowledge gets better, then I always have fewer things I can help with, but the more you do it, the less [you’re needed]. Like Jos today, Max is 10 times better driver than Jos. So what Jos can bring to the table is very small. But he did an amazing job bringing Max up."

Juan Pablo says he does not want to be a dominant father, pushing and giving advice to his son at every moment. "Times are very different," he says. "I let him have his own career. We speak a lot about that. I tell him it's your career, not mine. He’s the guy that needs to make the right decisions, the responsibility still has to be his not mine."

"I did my career. I focused on what I needed to do. I'm here to support him as a coach and as a dad and at the end of the day, the person that needs to get the job done it's him. I think he understands that. He's been working really hard this year. All his working ethics and things are really good and he understands what he needs to do. He's matured a lot. I think this year was a good learning step. It sucks that you normally learn when things are terrible. This year's been one of those cases that doesn't seem like you get a break. It doesn't matter how good you do it something always happens, but it's made him stronger."

Formula 1 achievable or not?

With a provisional 15th place in the F3 championship standings, Sebastián has indeed not performed as he had hoped beforehand - and he can, according to his father. But the learning process is far from over; Montoya Jr is still learning daily from his father: "How to drive fast in F1, how to win. He did that quite well. That’s something everyone would want, not only me. Something I've learned so far is how much you have to work and that it's never enough and it doesn't matter how good of a job you're doing, you have to keep going. No matter how good or how bad, you just need to keep working on it."

Where does that ultimately end? Juan Pablo doesn't mince words about Formula 1, but he does say, "I think he's got everything. I've told him a lot of times, the quicker you learn to get out of your own way, the quicker you're gonna make it. I think the path is never easy but he’s got the tools and the speed and everything to do it. Things need to start coming together a little more, and they are." Then Montoya looks beside him at Sebastián and says: "He's done a really good job. We're really proud of how much development he's done this year."