Tiago Monteiro brought his maiden World Touring Car Championship season to a close at Macau with a pair of point finishes that helped him conclude the year just outside the top ten overall.
Making the unprecedented switch from
Formula 1 to tin-tops, Monteiro has had a lot to learn in his first year with SEAT, but can head into the winter period knowing he has proved quick, if not terribly consistent.
Indeed, although Monteiro failed to taste the winner's champagne at any time in the year, the Portuguese driver managed first a pole position at Anderstorp, plus three podium finishes, one at the Swedish circuit and two at Pau.
Macau nonetheless proved to be a high point for Monteiro, who was comfortably the quickest of the petrol-powered SEAT Leons around the twists and turns of the tricky walled circuit.
“It was a very good weekend for me because I was able to push my petrol León to the level of the TDI. I lost seven tenths of a second to the turbo diesel in the fast sections and in the straightaways where my handicap was just too big.
“However, I made up for my delay in the more technical parts of the tracks thanks to a perfectly balanced car. In the end the difference between my times and those of the TDI's was very similar!”
His perseverance helped come away with a fourth and sixth place finish, results that lifted him up the overall standings to 11th place and make him the best placed WTCC – and indeed touring car – rookie.
“The most important thing for me is knowing that I did everything in my power to help the SEAT Sport team. I fulfilled my mission in the first race by being faster than Priaulx and I had the fastest lap three times in a row in the second leg.
“I am still very disappointed for SEAT Sport. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Yvan's car slowing down. It is a common occurrence in auto racing, you think you are on the right track and you lose everything in the final meters of the race. It takes away nothing from the competitiveness and amazing job done by SEAT Sport, who had a great season and thank them for that!”
![Tiago Monteiro - SEAT Sport SEAT Leon [Pic credit: FIA WTCC]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/387159.jpg)
