Monteiro in the top 5 at Budapest

Tiago Monteiro succeeded in his daring bid to secure two points finishes, bringing home a total of 16 points, in Hungary. For the fourth meeting of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), the Portuguese SEAT Sun Red driver was still driving the old version of the SEAT León, powered by a TDI engine, which he managed to move up to finish in 7th place in the first race and 5th in the second. Tiago’s performances in both championships are particularly convincing and positive in light of the fact that the SEAT #18 car was experiencing a turbo problem.

Tiago started the first race from the 7th row and completed 12 laps on the Hungaroring circuit, crossing the finish line in the same place. "I had a good start, which enabled me to move up several places, but I very quickly had turbo problems which made my León TDI lose performance. So I made every effort to secure important points as I crossed the finish line," Tiago explained.

The scenario for the second Sunday race was atypical. The sun, which was shining down from the sky over Budapest, gave way to a brutal, violent downpour after two race laps, forcing the race directors to interrupt the race. Tiago was in 6th position at that point. "The start was not good. I lost places but luckily I quickly recovered a few of them. But the torrential rains were just an initial brake on our momentum. The second came again from the turbo. I told my team from the second start that the problems were coming back and we were even worried that the engine would break. All the same, I continued my race, trying to modify my driving so as not to rush the engine, all while fighting to gain places after being the victim of a collision which earned a penalty for the driver who caused it. Under these conditions, I am very happy to be able to move up to a 5th place finish."

In the last corner of the last lap, Tiago took a wise line in order to force a threatening adversary not to dive in on the inside. Despite his power handicap, he managed to maintain a lead of 7 hundredths of a second on him at the finish line. The overall result from the Hungarian races is extremely satisfying for Tiago, who is in 5th place in the overall drivers’ ranking, one point away from 4th. "On a circuit where our adversaries were clearly stronger, it was essential to secure points in order to continue being well-placed in both championships. I can’t wait for the next races because I should be able to drive the SEAT 1.6 liter turbo, which had its trial by fire this weekend in Hungary."

Tonight, Tiago heads to Le Mans, where he will take part tomorrow in the administrative checking and scrutineering of his car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race will take place June 11 and 12, and the next FIA WTCC races will take place a week later in the Czech Republic.