Tiago Monteiro suffers double frustration in Hungary

Tiago Monteiro will leave Hungary with two more points after putting his brilliant skills to use in the fourth round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, held on the Hungaroring circuit. Unfortunately what started out as a very promising weekend turned into frustration when the Portuguese driver’s strong performance in qualifying was followed by a few tough races.

Fourth on the grid for race one, Tiago suffered a collision in the first kilometer and fell to 11th place. Tom Coronel hit the rear of the #18 Honda Civic which cut one of his tyres, so at the braking of the first corner of the second lap Tiago became a passenger as all wheels locked and the car crashed into the tire wall.

Thankfully Tiago emerged unscathed from the accident, but his Honda Civic was severely damaged. The mission then seemed impossible, but JAS Motorsport Honda did a fantastic job to repair the car for race two and Tiago was able to start the event from the pits. A strong performance from both driver and car saw plenty of overtaking and a 13th place finish.

Tiago Monteiro was disappointed with the overall outcome : "It was not the weekend we expected. I knew that the first few corners would play a vital role and I was proven right. Some of our rivals were too hasty and reckless and it spoiled both my races. The team did a great job putting the car back into working condition and I thank them for their commitment and professionalism."

Despite contesting the race in traffic where conditions caused heavy tire wear, Tiago Monteiro recorded the fifth fastest lap, something that stirs regret for the Portuguese driver as it underlines just what results could have been achieved... "I’ve won plenty and my race was very fun, but I could not fulfill my goal, which was to score points. I hope we can smile in the next round."

Tiago Monteiro concludes his review of the Hungarian weekend with a thought for his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini, who was hospitalized after a violent accident at the start of the race two. "All my wishes for a speedy recovery to Gabriele, who is under observation in hospital."

The next round of the FIA WTCC will take place in Austria on May 19.