Montoya begankart racing at the age of five, progressing to car racing in Colombia and Mexico at age 17, finishing runner-up in theCopa Formula Renault and winning the Nationale Tournement Swift GTI Championship. He also competed in theBarber Saab Pro Series, the Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship and theBritish Formula 3 Championship. In1997 and1998, Montoya raced in theInternational Formula 3000 forRSM Marko and thenSuper Nova Racing, winning seven races and the 1998 Drivers' Championship. He debuted in CART in 1999 with CGR, winning the series championship as a rookie in 1999. During the2000 CART season, Montoya's car suffered from unreliability, but still won three races for ninth in the Drivers' Championship. That year also saw him win the Indianapolis 500 (in the rivalIndy Racing League (IRL)) in his first attempt.
For the2014 season, Montoya moved to the IndyCar Series with Team Penske, winning once. In2015 he won two races (including the Indianapolis 500) and finished second in the championship toScott Dixon. His final series victory came in2016. He made his IMSA debut for Team Penske at the2017 Petit Le Mans, competing full-time from 2018 to 2020. Paired withDane Cameron, Montoya won the IMSA championship in the Prototype class in 2019. Montoya has also won the6 Hours of Bogotá three times as well as the individual event of theRace of Champions in2017.
Montoya was born on the morning of 20 September 1975, in aBogotá hospital,[3] to middle-class parents Pablo (an architect who enjoyed motor racing and amateurgo-karting) and his wife Libia Roldán de Montoya (née Roldán).[4][5] He is the family's eldest child, with two younger brothers and a sister.[6] Montoya's grandfather Santiago worked in real estate, while his uncle Diego racedsports cars.[4][7] The family lived in the San José de Bavaria neighbourhood in Bogotá's northern outskirts.[4][8] Montoya attended the private schools Colegio Gimnasio Bilingue Campestre and later the Colegio San Tarsicio after his test scores were too low and he was aBoy Scout.[4][9] He spent four days a week on his education and three days racing by the end of his schooling.[8]
Aged five, Montoya begankart racing when his father brought him a go-kart,[10] taught him to drive and trained at the Kartódromo Cajicá outside of Bogotá.[4] His father mentored him,[6] discreetly remortgaging the house without his wife's knowledge to finance his son's career or rearranging finances and obtaining sponsorship untilFormula 3000 (F3000).[3][11] Montoya got funding working as a delivery boy for his father, learnt racecraft and mechanical engineering from him,[11][12] and was inspired by driversRoberto Guerrero andAyrton Senna.[13] He raced in a self-organised karting championship due to the Colombian Karting Federation's financial problems.[3] Montoya won the 1984 Colombian Children's National Karting Championship, was second in the 1985 Colombian National Karting Championship and won the following year's local and national titles. Montoya won numerous championships in the Kart Komet category's local and national divisions from 1987 to 1989. He raced in the World Karting Junior Championship in 1990 and 1991, respectively.[13][14] Montoya won four national championships and finished second three times.[15]
He began car racing in 1992,[2] and travelled to the United States that September to attend a three-daySkip Barber Racing School atSonoma Raceway under the tutelage of lead instructorVic Elford.[13][16][17] Montoya then returned to Colombia to drive aVan Diemen car in the 1600ccCopa Fórmula Renault after series officials rejected him for being inexperienced and for being an aggressive driver until the withdrawal of one driver enabled his entry.[3][18][19] He took four wins and fivepole positions for second in the eight-race championship.[6][13] Montoya won the eight-round National Tournament Swift GTI Championship in aSuzuki Swift in 1993, winning seven races and seven poles.[20][14] He was second in the ten-race Lada Samara Cup with five wins and three pole positions and he won his class in the 1994 Karting SudAm 125 Championship.[14][18] After his father determined that his son could better himself outside of Colombia because of the country's lack of race tracks and senior championships,[10][21] Montoya entered the American-basedBarber Saab Pro Series in1994 featuringnormally aspirated cars,[9][22] winning two races, two poles and eleven top-ten finishes for third overall with 114 points.[17][23] He also raced for the Osaka team in Mexico, finishing third overall in the local sports car prototype division and earning three wins and four pole positions in theNissan-poweredsingle seater Formula Nsupport category.[20][14][24]
Montoya continued racing instead of attending university after graduating from high school in 1995.[d][10][25] His father was told that Montoya had to move to Europe to further his career,[9] and Montoya's coach,Peter Argetsinger, got him introduced toJackie andPaul Stewart, who tested him at theSilverstone Circuit in England. After Jackie Stewart suggested that Montoya do a year's junior racing, they put him in Paul Stewart Racing's (PWR) Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship team rather than theBritish Formula 3 Championship.[3][20][26] He initially struggled but improved after being taught to better use his energy and to drive smoother by Jackie Stewart.[20][27] He won three of the season's fourteen races (all from pole position) and five podium finishes for third in the Drivers' Championship with 125 points. In October 1995, he finished ninth in the International Formula 3 Cup atDonington Park,[28] and won the6 Hours of Bogotáendurance race with co-drivers Jorge Cortés and Diego Guzmán inSpice's No. 45Group C car.[13][29][22]
Montoya advanced to the British Formula 3 Championship in 1996, driving aFortec Motorsport-enteredDallara F396-Mitsubishi car after South American sponsorship was obtained when driverCristiano da Matta had funding problems and PWR's plans to run three vehicles fell through due to structural and competitiveness concerns.[2][30] Despite feeling uncomfortable in the underpowered car and making mistakes,[20] he took two wins, five podium finishes and a pole position to end the 16-race season fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 137 points.[31] That year saw Montoya finished fourth in theMasters of Formula 3 atCircuit Zandvoort.[31] He replacedJan Magnussen in theInternational Touring Car Championship's double header round at Silverstone, drivingMercedes-AMG'sMercedes-Benz C-Klasse and retired from both races.[2][32][33] Montoya retired from theMacau Grand Prix but won his second 6 Hours of Bogotá with Jorge Arango and Cortés.[34][35]
For1997, he wanted to move to theInternational F3000 Championship—Formula One's (F1) feeder series—[36] and accepted an offer from team ownerHelmut Marko to drive for hisRSM Marko squad in F3000 after budgetary issues stoppedSuper Nova Racing ownerDavid Sears from signing him.[37] Marko advised Montoya to eat healthily and exercise more in order to boost his performance and handle heavier cars better, but he was hesitant and occasionally fell behind owing to a lack of mental fortitude.[38] He won three races driving theLola T96/50-Zytek car at thePau Grand Prix, theA1-Ring and theCircuito de Jerez and took two pole positions.[2][39][38] Montoya made errors that lost him two race victories,[20] and was mathematically eliminated from championship contention after finishing third in the season's penultimate round atMugello Circuit, whichRicardo Zonta won.[39][38] He was second in the Drivers' Championship with 37.5 points and was the series' highest-placed rookie.[40][39] Outside of F3000, Montoya won the 6 Hours of Bogotá for the third time, alongside Cortés and Guzmán.[35]
He made hisChampionship Auto Racing Teams (CART) debut in1999 forChip Ganassi Racing (CGR) on a three-year contract after Williams signed double CART championAlex Zanardi from CGR to drive for them instead of Montoya because Williams wanted a more experienced driver and thought Montoya needed more development.[6][13][39] Montoya could not drive for theJordan,Stewart,Minardi andSauber teams because he was under contract to Williams, but Frank Williams enabled CGR ownerChip Ganassi and team managerMo Nunn to sign him.[20][41]
Montoya switched to anLola B2K/00-Toyota car for the2000 season, which was marred by unreliability.[2][49] Montoya struggled in the first four races, but improved to claim four consecutive pole positions and Toyota's first CART victory in the rain-delayedMiller Lite 225 at theMilwaukee Mile after leading a race-high 179 laps from pole position.[50][51] He won theMichigan 500 atMichigan International Speedway with a last-lap overtake onMichael Andretti and held him off by 0.040 seconds.[52] Montoya's performance was hampered by mechanical issues in the following five races, despite taking pole position in Chicago.[50] He took his third (and final) victory of the season from pole position in theMotorola 300 atGateway International Raceway.[53] Montoya finished second inHouston and qualified first atSurfers Paradise in the final three events for ninth overall with 126 points.[2]
Montoya left CGR with Ganassi's approval and debuted in Formula 1 with Williams in itsFW23-BMW car in the2001 season after signing a two-year contract in mid-2000 to replaceJenson Button.[20][54] He began losing weight to appease senior Williams officials and to become more race ready,[55] and became acquainted with tracks he had not raced on by playing simulation video games.[56] Montoya's car was powerful and capable of challenging for victories, but it was unreliable, and he was frequently involved in accidents; this became less common after theCanadian Grand Prix, when he was involved in a physical altercation with Villeneuve, when Frank Williams spoke to Montoya, and his performances improved. HisMichelin tyres exposed him to understeer due to severe tyre sensitivity, which was rectified.[57][58] Montoya began lapping faster than teammateRalf Schumacher, with whom he had a cool relationship and the car was built to his liking, as he began improving oncar setup and qualifying.[27][58][59]
He led theBrazilian Grand Prix (the season's third round) after passingFerrari'sMichael Schumacher until a rear-end collision withArrows'Jos Verstappen (whom he had just lapped) forced him to retire.[60][58] Montoya earned his first podium result and points by placing second in theSpanish Grand Prix two races later.[61] He repeated the feat four rounds later at theEuropean Grand Prix and added points two races later by finishing fourth in theBritish Grand Prix. Montoya took his maiden pole position at theGerman Grand Prix and led until a refuelling issue at a pit stop forced him to retire with an engine failure. His second career pole position was at theBelgian Grand Prix, although hestalled at the start due to more engine trouble. Montoya began theItalian Grand Prix from pole position and led 29 of its 53 laps in his maiden victory and the first for a Colombian in F1. He finished second in the season-endingJapanese Grand Prix for sixth in theWorld Drivers' Championship (WDC) with 31 points.[60][58]
Montoya remained at Williams for the2002 season.[2] HisFW24-BMW car was faster in qualifying but slower in the race because his Michelin tyres wore out faster than theBridgestone compounds.[62][63] Montoya scored points in the first six races, including podiums inAustralia,Malaysia,Spain andAustria and qualified on pole position inBrazil, where he collided with Michael Schumacher on the first lap. He took pole position for the next five races, retiring from the first three and scored points in the last two, including a podium finish at theBritish Grand Prix. Montoya claimed two more podium finishes inGermany,Belgium and took pole position inItaly during the final six rounds.[e] He was third in the WDC with fifty points.[66]
Montoya signed a two-year contract extension to stay with Williams through the end of the2004 season in mid-2002.[67] HisFW25-BMW car was enhanced during the2003 championship, with the consequent mechanical and aerodynamic changes making it F1's fastest car, particularly when racing in hotter conditions due to benefitting from the Michelin tyres that the team used.[68][69] He led the season-openingAustralian Grand Prix until a late-race spin cost him the win toMcLaren'sDavid Coulthard and dropped him to second. Montoya added seven more points in the following five races, finishing seventh inSan Marino and fourth inSpain. EngineerFrank Dernie's mid-season improvements made the FW25 car competitive, and Montoya won theMonaco Grand Prix. Montoya would put together a title challenge by finishing on the podium in the next seven races, a run that included winning his second and final race of 2003, theGerman Grand Prix, by over a minute from pole position, a result which moved him into second position in the WDC. His performance declined after theFédération Internationale de l'Automobile required Michelin to redesign their tyres after it announced changes to the methodology of measuring tyre width, and he was mathematically eliminated from title contention at the season's penultimate round when a drive-through penalty for a third lap collision with Ferrari'sRubens Barrichello at theUnited States Grand Prix left him to finish down in sixth place.[69] Montoya would end his strongest season in F1 third in the WDC with 82 points, eleven points short of the title.[70]
Montoya'sFW26-BMW 2004 car was slow and did not have enoughdownforce to give him confidence driving into corners as Williams switched from a single-keel to a twin-keel chassis design as well as a front wing design dubbed the "Walrus nose" that was dropped for a more conventional design before theHungarian Grand Prix.[71][72] He gained points in all but two of the first seven rounds, finishing second inMalaysia and third inSan Marino. Montoya was disqualified from fifth in theCanadian Grand Prix because his Williams car had oversized brake ducts and was disqualified from the followingUnited States Grand Prix for changing cars on the starting grid too late in the time available.[71][72] After that, he scored points in eight of the final nine races, including winning the season-endingBrazilian Grand Prix. Montoya took fifth in the WDC with 58 points.[71]
His relationship with Williams worsened when he verbally abused their engineers over the radio, believing that pit stop tactics during the2003 French Grand Prix allowed his teammate Ralf Schumacher to win. Montoya signed a contract with McLaren to replace Coulthard for the2005 season in August 2003;[73][74] Frank Williams rejected McLaren team principalRon Dennis' offer to release Montoya immediately because he did not want to do it a year before his existing contract with Williams expired.[75][76] He was also upset that Williams might keep Ralf Schumacher, which he believed would stop him from becoming World Champion.[77] Montoya spent time during the off-season losing weight and raising his fitness levels by switching to a new training regimen and a low-carbohydrate diet to improve his performance after encouragement from Dennis.[78]Kimi Räikkönen was his teammate and had a cordial personal relationship with him.[79] Montoya'sMP4-20 car struggled to quickly generate heat into its tyres, limiting its effectiveness in qualifying early in the season. Subsequent car modifications, such assuspension tweaks, allowed him to be gentle on the tyres and extract extra speed.[80][81] After scoring points in the first two races, he missed theBahrain andSan Marino Grands Prix due to a hairline fracture in his left scapula, and was replaced byPedro de la Rosa andAlexander Wurz, respectively.[f][80][82] Montoya was not fully recovered when he returned, and scored points in three of the next six races before being disqualified from theCanadian Grand Prix for passing a red light at the end of the pit lane. He did, however, win theBritish Grand Prix and took podium finishes in both the German andTurkish Grand Prix. Montoya won theItalian Grand Prix from pole position, then scored a second consecutive pole inBelgium before winning his third (and final) race of 2005 inBrazil. He could not help McLaren win theWorld Constructors' Championship as he retired on the first lap of theJapanese Grand Prix after hitting the barrier to avoid an accident and struck a raised drain cover at theChinese Grand Prix while running fourth. Montoya was fourth in the WDC with 60 points.[80]
Montoya remained at McLaren for the2006 season, but it did not exercise their option to keep him for the2007 championship in December 2005 since he had a strained relationship with both Dennis andMartin Whitmarsh.[81][83] He struggled to drive theMP4-21 car because of its understeer, tyre temperature warming problems, and power loss caused by the switch fromV10 toV8 engine regulations.[79][84] Montoya was outpaced by Räikkönen, and scored points in five of the first nine races, including a third-place inSan Marino and a second-place inMonaco. He was involved in an eight-car accident on the first lap of theUnited States Grand Prix, colliding with the rear of Räikkönen's car and then going into Button'sHonda. Montoya left F1 following the race and was replaced by Pedro de la Rosa for the rest of the season. He was eighth in the WDC with 26 points.[84]
Montoya did not want to race for McLaren and preferred American-based racing;[27] he despised F1's politics and its car and team-based focus on victory.[85] He discussed moving toNASCAR with CGR withFelix Sabates in June 2006.[86][87] Montoya spoke with his father, who persuaded him to switch series,[88] and signed a multi-year contract on 9 July to replaceCasey Mears in CGR's No. 42Dodge Charger from the start of 2007; Ganassi did not want to sign a younger driver.[86][89][90] He informed Dennis of the news and was promptly sidelined from McLaren since he made the statement without informing the team first.[20][91] Montoya was released from his McLaren contract four weeks early thanks toDaimlerChrysler's intervention and a rumoured $5 million compensation from Ganassi.[92][93] He rejected an offer to return to F1 withToro Rosso after telling team principalFranz Tost that he was focused on NASCAR.[94] Montoya began an intensive training regimen to prepare for the following season,[95] and was advised by other NASCAR drivers,[96] includingMark Martin on how to give drivers space.[97]
Constant testing prepared him for his first full-time NASCAR season in 2007,[104] and developed a rapport with his crew chiefDonnie Wingo.[105] Montoya frustrated approaching drivers by blocking them when he was one lap down.[106] He was outperformed by both theHendrick Motorsports andJoe Gibbs Racing teams resource-wise and had difficulty handling theDodge Avenger model of theCar of Tomorrow that was unbalanced when amongst packs of cars.[107][108] Wingo sent Montoya onto a track early in the season in a car with understeer before modifying its setup to boost speed by allowing the rear end to swing out through corners.[109]
Montoya in practice for the2007 Samsung 500, where he took his second career top-ten finish
Montoya drove the No. 42 CGR Dodge in 17 Busch Series races in2007 to gain experience on tracks where he also competed in the Cup Series.[117][118] He led a race-high 43 laps in theTelcel-Motorola Mexico 200 at theAutódromo Hermanos Rodríguez before bumping his CGR teammateScott Pruett with eight laps remaining for his first NASCAR victory and become the first foreign-born NASCAR winner sinceRon Fellows in2001.[119] Montoya finished two more races in the top ten, at Atlanta and Talladega, and his best start of the season was second atWatkins Glen International, where he finished 33rd following a crash.[117] He drove for CGR in the renamed Nationwide Series for two rounds late in the2008 season, finishing outside the top ten in both races.[120][121]
He returned to drive CGR's No. 42 car for the2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.[122] Montoya was 32nd in theDaytona 500 despite running as high as second late in the race.[123] CGR's decline in performance meant he had no top ten finishes or qualified within the top ten, leading to criticism from Ganassi.[124][125] Jimmy Elledge became Montoya's crew chief after Wingo was moved to teammateReed Sorenson's squad before being replaced byBrian Pattie.[85] This irritated Montoya, who openly questioned CGR's commitment, and he requested a face-to-face meeting with Ganassi in May 2008, during which his feelings were soothed.[126][127] They promised to work together regularly to make Montoya more competitive.[128] His best season result was a second-place finish in theAaron's 499 at Talladega.[129] Although Montoya continued to struggle performance-wise attributed in part to the closure of teammate Franchitti's squad due to sponsorship issues,[130] he finished in the top ten at both road course races (sixth and fourth in theToyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon and theCenturion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen, respectively).[131][132] He took pole position for theCamping World RV 400 atKansas Speedway, but his lap was disallowed due to excessive gas pressure in his rearshock absorbers.[133] Montoya was 25th in the final championship standings, with 3,329 points.[2]
Due to theGreat Recession, CGR merged withDale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) before the 2009 season to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR), and Montoya began driving aChevrolet Impala run by DEI.[2][85] He rejected offers from other NASCAR teams,[128] and a contract from Tost to return to F1 with Toro Rosso since his family felt comfortable in the United States.[134] During the season, Montoya won no races but was more competitive and consistent with ten top-ten finishes and improved his qualifying performances in the first 26 races,[2] and drove better on most types of tracks (including oval tracks) by racing conservatively and Pattie convincing him to replace aggressive race setups and on-track risks with long-term thinking and intelligent driving.[135][136] This was due to his car's increased power, his developing experience and patience, and Pattie's calm demeanour.[137] Montoya had been enough acquainted with the Car of Tomorrow by mid-2009,[138][139] when he adjusted his driving style to slow down in order to be faster.[140] In theAaron's 499 at Talladega, he qualified on pole for the first time in his Cup Series career before finishing second in theSunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 atPocono Raceway.[141][142] He was tenth in points after the second race atRichmond Raceway and qualified for theChase for the Sprint Cup.[h][143] A pole position in theSylvania 300 atNew Hampshire Motor Speedway along with six top-ten finishes put him as high as third place in the standings but was eliminated from title contention after a series of accidents.[144][145] He was eighth overall with 6,252 points.[2]
Montoya returned to race with EGR for the2010 season but a new carspoiler slowed him.[138][146] He qualified better and increased his average finishing position over the first 21 races of the season, with eight top-ten finishes, two pole positions,[2] and the took the lead of races more frequently due to faster pace. Montoya missed out on the Sprint Cup Chase due to a series of accident, a lack of consistency, and a poor team strategy.[136][146][147] Montoya qualified on pole for both theLenox Industrial Tools 301 in New Hampshire and theBrickyard 400 at Indianapolis, but crashed in both races.[148][149] Montoya started third in theHeluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen and led 74 of the race's ninety laps to take his second (and final) Cup Series victory.[150] The rest of the season saw him claim five more top-ten finishes and pole position for theAMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega.[2][151] He was 17th in the final standings with 4,118 points.[2]
Montoya returned to the Sprint Cup Series for a fifth full-time season with EGR in the2011 championship,[152] but his performance suffered as a result of NASCAR mandating a nose change.[138] He started thirteenth in theDaytona 500 and led for five laps before finishing sixth.[153] Montoya finished third in theKobalt Tools 400 atLas Vegas Motor Speedway two races later, his best finish of the season.[2][154] Montoya qualified on pole position for theAuto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway and in theCrown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond in his first short oval track pole.[155][156] Following Montoya's inconsistency in the first half of the season, which saw him drop down the points standings throughout the year, Ganassi replaced Pattie as the driver's crew chief by Jim Pohlman without Montoya's substantial participation before theBrickyard 400 that July.[157][158] He ended the 36-race season 21st overall with 932 points after eight top-ten finishes and no race wins.[2]
He approached EGR regarding a long-term contract renewal in early 2011, expressing his desire to remain with the team, particularly Ganassi.[159][160] He remained with EGR for the2012 season and was assignedChris Heroy as his new crew chief after Ganassi restructured his team.[161][162] Montoya's trailing arm snapped during the season-openingDaytona 500, causing him to crash sideways into the rear of a jet dryer transporting jet fuel and catching fire.[163] During the season, he only had two top-ten finishes, which were eighth-place finishes atBristol Motor Speedway and Michigan.[2] Montoya had his best start of the season with pole position in both thePennsylvania 400 at Pocono and in theFinger Lakes 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen.[164][165] He was 22nd in the drivers' standings with a total of 810 points.[2]
Montoya remained with EGR for the2013 season, driving theGeneration 6Chevrolet SS and switching engine manufacturers fromRichard Childress Racing to Hendrick Motorsports.[166][167] He was slowed by mechanical problems and was involved in crashes in five of the first seven races of the season.[168] Montoya started sixth and finished fourth in theToyota Owners 400 at Richmond after leading 67 laps due to a late race caution.[169] Four races later, he took his best result of the season with a second-place finish in theFedEx 400 at Dover after leading 19 laps and being overtaken by Stewart with three laps to go.[170] Montoya was set to finish second in theToyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma but he ran out of fuel on the final lap and finished 34th.[171] The rest of the season saw him secure five more top-ten finishes, with a best performance of third at Bristol. Montoya finished his final full-time Sprint Cup Series season 21st in the points standings, with 891.[2]
Although he had stepped away from full-time racing and concentrated on podcasting and mentoring his sonSebastián in his racing career,[173][174] Montoya returned to NASCAR after a ten-year absence to compete on a one-off basis at the2024 Go Bowling at The Glen driving23XI Racing's No. 50Toyota Camry XSE after accepting an offer from team president Steve Lauletta.[175] He qualified 34th for the race and finished in 32nd.[2]
He was told in August 2013 that EGR would not renew his contract for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,[176][177] and talked toAndretti Autosport about driving for them in the IndyCar Series as well asFurniture Row Racing in lieu ofKurt Busch in NASCAR, but he declined both offers.[178] Montoya joined Penske in the2014 IndyCar Series after meeting presidentTim Cindric at Michigan that year.[179] He shed 20 kg (44 lb) since the previous summer, modified his workout programme to increase his fitness in order to cope with the demands of open-wheel car racing, which he had to reacquaint himself with, and Team Penske acquired sponsorship financing to run his car in eight of the planned races.[180][181]
Montoya drove the No. 2Dallara DW12-Chevrolet car.[2] He performed well on oval circuits but qualified worse on road and street circuits due to a lack of pre-season testing onFirestone's alternate Red compound tyre, which was not made accessible to teams by the manufacturer or IndyCar, but could improve his finishing position.[182] Montoya had five top-ten finishes in the season's first ten races, including a second-place in the first race at theGrand Prix of Houston.[2][183] He qualified on pole for thePocono IndyCar 500 and overtookTony Kanaan with four laps remaining to win the fastest 500-mile race in IndyCar history with an average speed of 202.402 mph (325.734 km/h) and his first IndyCar victory in nearly fourteen years.[184] Montoya finished the season with three more top-fives, including a second-place at Milwaukee, and was fourth overall with 586 points.[2][183]
He continued driving for Penske in the2015 IndyCar Series,[185] improving his performance in qualifying from the previous season.[186] Montoya started fourth and led the final 27 laps of the season-openingFirestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, holding off Penske teammateWill Power to win the race and take the points lead.[187] He qualified on pole for theIndy Grand Prix of Louisiana atNOLA Motorsports Park and led 31 laps before pit stops and two caution periods dropped him to fifth place.[188] Montoya then finished third in theToyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and theGrand Prix of Indianapolis.[185] His season highlight was winning theIndianapolis 500 for the second time.[i] Montoya battled Power and CGR'sScott Dixon for the win in the final laps, eventually passing Power with three laps to go.[189] Following that, he continuously finished in the top ten in the next six rounds as he drove conservatively until an accident at Iowa caused by suspension failure dropped him to 24th, although he retained the points lead due to other drivers' issues.[185][186][190] Montoya's third-place finish at Pocono made him one of six drivers eligible for the championship at the season-endingGoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.[191] He finished sixth following a collision with Power and ended the season with the same number of points as Dixon (556) but lost the championship on tiebreak to Dixon, who had won three races to Montoya's two.[1]
For the2016 IndyCar Series, he raced for Penske.[192] Montoya's average qualifying performance dropped from the previous season,[193] however he occasionally raced quicker during a race after a poor qualifying.[194] He started third and led 44 of the 110 laps of theFirestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg before passing teammateSimon Pagenaud to win.[195] Montoya started third and led 56 laps in the followingDesert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix in Phoenix when a flat tyre forced an early pit stop and left him to ninth place, moving Pagenaud into the championship lead.[196] He took three more top-tens before an early racing collision in theIndianapolis 500 left him in 33rd, putting him in a points deficit. Montoya end the season with five top-tens, and he placed third at Sonoma for eighth in the drivers' standings with 433 points.[192][194]
Cindric informed him in July 2016 that his future at Penske did not necessarily imply that he would race for them full-time in IndyCar.[197] Montoya was given a spot in Penske's fifth entry for the2017 Indianapolis 500, but he discussed returning to CGR as well as joiningEd Carpenter Racing,A. J. Foyt Racing, or Andretti Autosport for the entire season. He did not reach an agreement with any other teams and remained at Penske for the Indianapolis 500 because he felt the team would give him the best chance of winning.[198][199] Montoya entered both theIndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 in the2017 IndyCar Series. He finished tenth in the first round and sixth in the Indianapolis 500 despite running out of fuel before a pit stop.[2][200]
IndyCar chose Montoya to be the test driver of Chevrolet's specification of the Dallara universal aerodynamic kit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Iowa Speedway, and a street circuit simulation atSebring International Raceway before the kit's debut in the2018 season.[201] He talked about driving forSchmidt Peterson Motorsports in the2018 Indianapolis 500, but team ownerSam Schmidt was told that team ownerRoger Penske had vetoed such an agreement. Montoya would miss the race, focusing solely on his sports car career.[202] Montoya talked to McLaren CEOZak Brown about racing for his team in the2019 Indianapolis 500, but could not do so as he was under contract to Penske.[203]
Montoya drove Arrow McLaren SP's No. 86 Dallara-Chevrolet third car in the2021 IndyCar Series for theGMR Grand Prix and theIndianapolis 500.[2][204] He qualified outside the top-twenty in both races and finished 21st and ninth, respectively.[2] Montoya drove the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP car in both theGMR Grand Prix and theIndianapolis 500 during the2022 season.[205] He finished 24th in the weather-affected GMR Grand Prix following an accident,[206] and eleventh in the Indianapolis 500 after starting 30th.[207]
He officially joined Penske's IMSA programme in August 2017, having previously expressed interest in IMSA.[221] Montoya shared the No. 6 car byDane Cameron for the season and Pagenaud for three endurance races.[210] Mechanical issues hampered his performance in the first two races, the24 Hours of Daytona and the12 Hours of Sebring.[222][223] Montoya took pole position for theBUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix and led 23 laps before finishing fifth.[224] He finished in the top ten five more times before crashing in the second hour of thePetit Le Mans, leaving his car 32nd overall.[210][225] Montoya was fifth in both the Prototype Drivers' Championship (251 points) and the North American Endurance Cup (NAEC).[226] In June, he made his24 Hours of Le Mans début inUnited Autosports' No. 32Ligier JS P217-Gibson car withHugo de Sadeleer andWill Owen.[227] The car finished third in LMP2 and seventh overall.[228]
Montoya returned to Penske for the2019 season in the new DPi category, accompanied by Cameron for the year and Pagenaud for three endurance events.[210] His performance improved as he and Cameron focused more on a common chassis setup that did not favour one driver over another.[229] Montoya finished no worse than ninth in the first three races of the season before his first IMSA victory in theAcura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio after leading 88 laps from third.[230][231] He took his second successive win in theChevrolet Sports Car Classic in Detroit, starting from pole position.[232] Montoya then took three straight podium finishes before winning theMonterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca after leading a race-high 75 laps.[230][233] Finishing fourth at the season-endingPetit Le Mans earned him and Cameron the DPi Drivers' Championship with 302 points, and they were sixth in the NAEC.[226][234]
For the2020 championship, Montoya returned to Penske's programme and was paired with Cameron for that year, with Pagenaud serving as the endurance driver. He started the season fourth at the24 Hours of Daytona and finished no worse than ninth in the final eight rounds and qualifying on pole three times.[235] He took sixth in the DPi Drivers' Championship with 247 points and was third in the NAEC.[226] Montoya drove the No. 21DragonSpeed USA Oreca 07-Gibson entry for the2020 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Timothé Buret and Rojas after an arrangement withPipo Derani fell through.[236] The car was retired after 192 laps due to a misfire.[237]
Montoya shared the No. 81 DragonSpeed – 10Star Oreca LMP2 car for six points-scoring races in the2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship with Hedman and his son Sebastián.[243] He finished no lower than eighth in class in those six events and won his category in theLexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio.[244][245] Montoya finished fourth in the LMP2 Drivers' Championship with 1878 points and seventh in the NAEC.[246] He was scheduled to enter three races of the2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship inRick Ware Racing's No. 51 Oreca car alongsideEric Lux.[247] Montoya returned to compete with DragonSpeed in the entire ELMS season in2023 alongside Hedman and Sebastián,[248] ending the season seventh in the LMP2 Pro-Am points standings with 44 scored and a best class finish of fifth twice.[244]
He has had an aggressive driving style since childhood,[12] which led to him being involved in numerous incidents in NASCAR.[254] DriverDerek Daly wrote that Montoya lacked technical knowledge of a racing car because he was not taught by a championship or a racing squad and needed two or three engineers to compensate for his inability to provide accurate technical feedback, which became more apparent as his F1 career progressed. He observed that the driver denied having such a flaw and frequently blamed other variables for his poor performance. Daly, however, stated that Montoya relied heavily on reflexes and intuition during his youth racing and CART career.Autosport'sNigel Roebuck observed in November 2004 that Montoya was emotionally driven and impervious to being pressured from behind.[255]
Montoya has been represented by the management firms CSS Stellar and William Morris Agency.[256][257] He has been an ambassador for the Swiss watchmakerTAG Heuer,[258] and theMiami Grand Prix.[259] Montoya was made agoodwill ambassador for theUnited Nations (UN) in October 2001 and helped to raise funding for theWorld Food Programme to feed children displaced by theColombian conflict.[260] Upon becoming an UN Goodwill Ambassador,[261] he and his wife established the non-profit Fundación Formula Sonrisas (English: Formula Smiles Foundation) in 2003 and focuses on reducing gender and social inequality by educating children living in the deprived areas of Colombia through sport and physical education.[262][263]
Montoya married law graduate Connie Freydell inCartagena, Colombia on 26 October 2002.[4][6] They have three children,[20] one of them,Sebastián, is also a racing driver.[264] He builds and fliesradio-controlled aircraft.[265] Montoya made a cameo appearance as a racing driver in the 2001 filmDriven.[266] He began working forMotorsport.tv as a presenter providing insight and opinions in news programmes and be part of its creative team for long-form documentaries in May 2021.[267] In early November 2013, theInternal Revenue Service stated that he owed US$2.7 million in additional taxes and penalties due to disallowed deductions from 2007 and 2008.[268] Montoya stated that he had earned $800,000 more than his reported income, but filed a challenge to the audit in theUnited States Tax Court.[269]
^Montoya andScott Dixon finished the season with the same number of points scored; Dixon was classified ahead oncount-back, by virtue of having more victories.[1]
^Montoya's mother wanted him to go to university but agreed to a compromise to delay the decision until he turned 25 in case his racing career stalled.[10][25]
^His pole lap at theItalian Grand Prix was measured at 161.449 mph (259.827 km/h), which was the fastest average qualifying lap.[64] The record is currently held byLewis Hamilton, who set a qualifying speed of 264.362 km/h (164.267 mph) at the2020 Italian Grand Prix.[65]
^A press release by McLaren stated that Montoya sustained the injury playing tennis with his trainer but rumours in the paddock suggested he sustained the injury riding a motorcycle.[82]
^He was also the first Hispanic driver to win a Cup Series event.[70]
^Pattie calculated that Montoya would have to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup by finishing on average fourteenth place each week.[85]
^The victory set the record for the longest period of time between two victories – fifteen years between the 2000 and 2015 races.[189]
^abcdefPostnov, Igor (February 2001)."Колумбийский ураган" [Colombian hurricane].Formula 1 Magazine (in Russian):42–53. Archived fromthe original on 24 August 2002. Retrieved30 September 2023.
^Machado, Juan Pablo (13 May 2001)."Aló, Mamá" [Hello, Mom].El Tiempo (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved29 September 2023.
^abcdeFernández, Tomás; Tamaro, Elena (2004)."Juan Pablo Montoya".Biografías y Vidas. La enciclopedia biográfica en línea (in Spanish).Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved29 September 2023 – via Biografias y Vidas.
^ab"Todo listo para el Grand Prix de España" [Everything ready for the Spanish Grand Prix].Panamá América (in Spanish). 26 April 2001.Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved13 September 2023.
^"Montoya a la Carrera" [Montoya on the Race].Semana (in Spanish). 4 April 1994.Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved29 September 2023.
^Masche, Ernie (September 2010)."Off-track Grinning"(PDF).Model Aviation.Archived(PDF) from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved29 September 2023.
^Vettraino, J.P. (28 August 2000)."Simply Juan".Autoweek.50 (36): 38.Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved30 September 2023 – viaEBSCO.
^Graves, Gary (17 January 2007)."Montoya taking Nextel step".USA Today. p. 09C.Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved19 September 2023 – via Gale In Context: Biography.
^Wittemeier, Roman (25 November 2008)."Montoya: Kein Interesse an Formel-1-Comeback" [Montoya: No interest in Formula 1 comeback] (in German). Motorsport-Total.com.Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved22 September 2023.
^Lawrence, Andrew; Keith, Ted (1 June 2015)."He's Back".Sports Illustrated. Vol. 122, no. 22. pp. 21–22.Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved29 September 2023 – viaEBSCO.
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