Paulina Montoya’s appearance in the Formula 2 pit lane at the Spanish Grand Prix has unexpectedly landed her brother Sebastian’s Prema team with a fine.
The 20-year-old influencer, who has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram, was attending the Madrid event as a guest of the Prema team and supporting her younger brother during the F2 weekend.
However, her choice of clothing on Friday brought her into conflict with one of motorsport’s more obscure pit lane regulations.
White dress falls foul of pit lane rules
Montoya was seen wearing a white dress while close to the F2 cars, but FIA regulations require team and technical personnel in the pit lane to wear long trousers during practice sessions and races.
Prema subsequently appealed to the stewards, arguing that Montoya was a guest rather than an operational member of the team and therefore should not have been covered by the requirement.
The stewards rejected that argument and determined that the team’s responsibilities extended to guests who had been granted access to the restricted area.
FIA rules leave Prema responsible
The decision was based on provisions within the FIA International Sporting Code.
According to the stewards, the regulations classify guests as participants, while another provision makes competitors responsible for the actions or omissions of people they allow into reserved areas.
The stewards also referred to the sporting regulations requiring team and technical personnel to wear long trousers in the pit lane.
After reviewing video evidence and hearing from a Prema representative, the officials concluded that a person associated with Car 11 had been in the pit lane without the required clothing.
Prema was subsequently fined £428.
Montoya responds with a change of outfit
Montoya appeared to take the unusual ruling in good humour.
The following day, she returned to the pit lane wearing white trousers and posted a photograph on Instagram with the caption: “Appropriate attire.”
By Sunday, she was back in a floor-length dress, although she kept further away from the cars and did not encounter the same issue.
Sebastian Montoya continues his F2 campaign
The incident occurred during Sebastian Montoya’s second season in Formula 2 with Prema.
The 21-year-old is currently 16th in the championship standings as he continues his development in the junior single-seater series.
His racing career has also carried the weight of a famous family name.
Sebastian is the son of Juan Pablo Montoya, who competed in Formula 1 for Williams and McLaren between 2001 and 2006.
Juan Pablo Montoya’s decorated racing career
Juan Pablo Montoya won seven Formula 1 Grands Prix during his career and twice finished third in the drivers’ championship.
The Colombian driver later competed successfully outside F1, including appearances in IndyCar and the NASCAR Cup Series.
His daughter Paulina has instead built a following through social media, but her appearance at the Spanish Grand Prix provided an unexpected connection between the family’s racing heritage and the FIA’s detailed regulations governing access to the pit lane.
