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PREMA Racing driver Sebastián Montoya has been disqualified from the results of the Formula 2 Free Practice session at Silverstone after his car failed to provide the minimum post-session fuel sample required under the Technical Regulations.
Following the conclusion of Practice, Car 11 was referred to the Stewards because officials could not take the mandatory 0.8kg fuel sample. That requirement is set out in Article 6.3.1 of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations, and the Stewards determined that the car had not complied.
The decision means Montoya is removed from the Practice classification, with all lap times set by Car 11 deleted. Every driver originally classified behind him in the session is therefore promoted by one position.
The matter was reviewed after the session, with the Stewards hearing from a team representative before reaching their decision. Their conclusion was straightforward: Car 11 had breached the Technical Regulations by failing to supply the minimum fuel sample after running.
In a category where Practice is the first structured reference point of a race weekend, losing every recorded time is a significant procedural setback. The ruling does not alter the underlying pace shown by others in the session, but it does reshape the official classification and removes Montoya’s contribution from the final Practice results.
The penalty also underlines the strict nature of post-session checks in junior single-seater racing. Fuel sampling is not a discretionary administrative detail; it is a defined technical requirement, and failure to meet the prescribed minimum leaves little room for mitigation once the Stewards establish non-compliance.
With Montoya excluded, the revised order now promotes all cars that had been listed behind the PREMA Racing entry by one place. The decision applies specifically to the Practice Session results, with the official times for Car 11 removed from the classification.
The ruling comes during Formula 2’s Silverstone weekend, a round already framed by the importance of track time and session execution. For wider context on the event structure and what is at stake across the weekend, read our Formula 2 Silverstone Round 7 preview.
For Montoya and PREMA Racing, the immediate consequence is clear: the Practice result is wiped, and the field behind him gains one position in the official order. In a weekend format where every session carries value, the loss of classified running leaves Car 11 with no official Practice times to carry forward from Silverstone.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.