Monteiro takes up the Budapest challenge

On June 4 and 5, Tiago will be racing in the fourth FIA WTCC meeting on the Budapest circuit, but contrary to earlier plans, he and his SEAT and SUNRED partner, Gabriele Tarquini will not be racing the new 1.6 liter turbo León. Indeed, the team feels it would be too risky to enter the new car in competition without testing it enough beforehand.

"We have already driven the new car and we know that its engine is more powerful, but its reliability is not yet ideal," Tiago explained. "Therefore, we think that for reliability reasons and so as not to jeopardize the good results we have been obtaining so far with the León TDI, it’s better to rely on it once again in Budapest. The three other SUNRED drivers will be tasked with driving cars equipped with the new turbo engine."

For the first time in its history, the FIA WTCC will be paying a visit to the Hungaroring, located in the outskirts of the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Tiago knows the track from racing on it in Formula 1. "It’s always very interesting to add new circuits to the calendar. We have no references on this circuit and we will have to start from a clean slate. It is a demanding, technical track. Since we don’t have data on car handling there, it is difficult to make predictions. With our engine, our ambitions will be the same as in the first races: we have to score as many points as possible in both championships. Anything on top of that will be icing on the cake!"