PREMA Racing grabbed the team's second top-5 finish of the weekend today as Sebastian Montoya delivered a spectacular recovery despite an early incident, while an engine failure stopped Gabriele Minì in lap 1 after a brilliant start.
Montoya had an amazing start on the harder Prime compound as the team selected an alternative strategy to try and fight back to the front. A heavy side hit received by a competitor caused him to lose multiple positions as he assessed suspension damage. Soon the Colombian-American bounced back and started turning some of the fastest laps of the field to get into the lead of the same-strategy group despite the damage.
After pitting, he found himself buried in the pack, but on a softer compound, he put up an epic charge to snatch P5 on the last lap, also logging the fastest lap of the race in the process.
Gabriele Minì also had a strong start that had put him in contention at the front, but as his engine went up in smoke on lap 1, he was left with no other option than parking his car.
#9 - Sebastian Montoya
"A really good race, with everything that happened I couldn’t really take anything out of it. We were strong and even made a step up from yesterday considering the track conditions and everything. I was trying to make an overtake and the guy moved under braking, which I wasn't expecting. We touched and I felt something off with the car. I thought we had more damage than we actually had, but I could drive the rest of the race with the steering wheel tilted to the right. Really happy with the speed, the result, and the comeback. It's very motivating for the next one."
#10 - Gabriele Minì
"Not much to say. We had a great start, but the engine let go in the first lap and sadly there was nothing we could do about it. It's a pity because we made great steps this weekend. Let's see what we can do in Silverstone."