Collision ruins qualifying for Monteiro in Marrakech

The second round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, WTCC, which takes place this weekend at the Moulay el Hassan circuit in Morocco, started out well for Tiago Monteiro. After the Monza round two weeks ago, the Portuguese driver and Honda were instantly more competitive in Marrakech.

Tiago was the fastest Honda driver in the final free practice session where he recorded the fourth fastest time. Following this he had high hopes for qualifying and settled comfortably into the top 12 in the first session. Unfortunately, he clipped the wall at the exit of the second chicane and was unable to participate in the final round of qualifying and will therefore start from 14th place on both starting grids.

Tiago Monteiro was upset by the turn of events, however he admitted it was his error: "I had just put on new tires for the first time and the rear end of the car slid a little more than before. As a result I slipped in the fast chicane and I hit the wall. On a street circuit like this this, errors are very costly. I'm disappointed because we had the potential to qualify on the first few rows," said Monteiro.

"But we need to highlight the positive aspects. I congratulate Honda for their excellent work that has resulted in pole position for my teammate Gabriele Tarquini. We are much more competitive than we were in Monza, the chassis is fantastic here even though we still lack a little speed. However, on this track, taking advantage of the slipstream, anything is possible. With the Honda Civic performing so well, I regret not being able to fight for the top spots on the grid."

Unfortunately, the task of fighting back during the race will not be an easy one for Tiago Monteiro. "Overtaking is almost an impossible mission on this track," explained the Honda Civic # 18 driver, "But my goal will be to move up the field and score some points to finish the weekend on a good note."

Both Marrakech races will be broadcast by Eurosport at 16h and 17h.

Tiago Monteiro