JUAN PABLO MONTOYA

#32 United Autosports Ligier-gibson JSP217 F1 starts 94 Sportscar starts 14 Juan Pablo Montoya is his usual insouciant self when talking about his Le Mans debut with the United Autosports team. He may be a full-time sportscar racer now in the IMSA ranks with the Penske Acura team, but he didn’t set out to contest the race this year.

The link with the Anglo-american team is obvious. He knows its co-owner, Mclaren F1 boss Zak Brown, who made the approach when United needed a high-profile driver to satisfy some sponsors who had been on its Ligiers when Alonso had joined the team at the Daytona 24 Hours IMSA opener in January.

“I’ve known Zak for years and he asked me if I was interested,” explains the former Williams and Mclaren F1 driver. “I said that he didn’t really need to ask, and one thing led to the other. It’s something I haven’t done before, so it’s a good opportunity.”

Montoya, who tested a Porsche LMP1 back in 2015 in what was essentially a PR opportunity, is already an experienced sportscar driver with three overall wins at Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing, starting with a victory on his debut in 2007. But again, he didn’t set out to race in the Florida enduro with the team with which he was then racing in NASCAR’S premier division.

“Honestly, being at Ganassi, you’d get an email saying we need you on the track on this day,” explains Montoya. “I don’t think the conversation was ever, ‘Hey, do you want to run Daytona with us?’ It was,

‘We’ll see you there.’ But it was always fun and a good race to win.”

Montoya reckons he isn’t motivated by the unofficial triple crown of motorsport, although with wins already at the Indy 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix he’s one step closer to emulating Hill’s unique record than Alonso.

“I want to win it, but not because it’s part of the triple crown,” he says. “I just want to win it.”

“I want to win it, not because it’s part of the triple crown – I just want to win it” JUAN PABLO MONTOYA