Formula 1 Legend’s Daughter Sparks Pit-Lane Controversy Over Her Outfit

The daughter of Formula 1 legend Juan Pablo Montoya found herself at the center of an amusing incident at the Spanish Grand Prix after her outfit violated a little-known pit-lane rule, resulting in a £428 fine for her brother, Formula 2 driver Sebastián Montoya.

Twenty-year-old Paulina Montoya, who has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram, was a guest of the Prema team in Madrid last weekend. She had traveled to support her brother Sebastián, who races for the team in Formula 2, but her outfit ultimately resulted in a financial penalty for the team.

Paulina appeared in the pit lane wearing a white dress. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual about it. However, regulations require all team and technical personnel in the pit lane to wear long trousers.

Prema attempted to challenge the penalty, explaining to the stewards that Paulina was a guest of the team and therefore should not be subject to the requirement.

However, FIA representatives cited the International Sporting Code, under which guests are also considered “participants.” As a result, the fine was upheld.

Paulina appeared to take the situation in good humor. The following day, she showed up in the pit lane wearing white trousers and captioned an Instagram post: “Appropriate attire.”

On Sunday, she once again wore a long dress, but this time stayed farther away from the cars to avoid causing any further problems for the team.

Paulina and Sebastián’s father, Juan Pablo Montoya, raced in Formula 1 for Williams and McLaren from 2001 to 2006. During his F1 career, he won seven Grands Prix and twice finished third in the drivers’ championship.