48-year-old seven-time Formula 1 race winner now inducted into Indianapolis Hall of Fame

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Juan Pablo Montoya was one of the most interesting characters to drive in Formula 1 in the 2000s, but his performances in the United States have earned him a place in the Indianapolis Hall of Fame.

Juan Pablo Montoya spent five-and-a-half seasons in Formula 1 with Williams and McLaren after starring in the CART series on the other side of the Atlantic.

His performances in IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500 have earned him special recognition, as per Auto Racing 1.

There has always been a crossover between the top American motorsport series and Formula 1.

The likes of Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi and more recently Takuma Sato have all won the Indianapolis 500.

Although in recent times American drivers haven’t fared too well in F1, it was previously one of the most important scouting areas for teams.

Williams thought they were onto a winner when they brought in Alex Zanardi, but he failed to make the grade in 1999.

It led the team to hire Jenson Button in the interim in 2000, but they already had their eye on Montoya for the following year.

The Colombian had other business to attend to and won the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2000, something that hadn’t been done for over 35 years.

His performance in IndyCar, CART and the Indianapolis 500 have now earned Montoya his place in the Hall of Fame.

He’ll be inducted alongside Tony Kanaan, who was once told by Ayrton Senna that he was even more talented than the legendary Brazilian.

Montoya inducted into Indianapolis Hall of Fame

The 48-year-old had an impressive stint in Formula 1 when he arrived in 2001, partnering Ralf Schumacher at Williams.

He was handed a fast but unreliable car during his first campaign but had to wait until the Italian Grand Prix that year to earn his first win, missing out in Brazil after a collision with Joa Verstappen as he went to lap him.

Montoya went on to win seven Grand Prix during his time in Formula 1, but his move to McLaren in 2005 spelt the beginning of the end of his time in the series.

His relationship with Ron Dennis was never the best with the team principal notoriously difficult to deal with.

After a crash at the United States Grand Prix, Montoya left McLaren halfway through the season, being replaced by Pedro De La Rosa.

Montoya went straight back into American racing and his second Indy 500 win in 2015 has earned him his place in the Indianapolis Hall of Fame.

It would have been fascinating to see how the Colombian would have been viewed in Formula 1 had he stuck around for longer.

His pace was undeniable and competed with the very best during one of the strongest periods in F1’s history.