Tiago Monteiro on the podium in final at Macau

Tiago Monteiro concluded the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship season by delivering a brilliant performance that allowed him to take his fifth podium finish of the season the fourth consecutive after the USA, Japan and China.

The Portuguese driver avoided all the pitfalls of the Guia street circuit in Macau, making a good start from second on the grid and resisting pressure from his opponents throughout the nine laps of the first race.

From the fourth row of the grid for race two, Tiago Monteiro made another excellent start and moved up several places to be up in fourth, however the race was then red flagged due to a mass pileup and Tiago was made return to his original grid position. Following the second start, he was hit from behind by Yvan Muller and was forced to retire from the race on lap 3.

Disappointment over this result does not affect the excellent overall weekend for the official Honda driver. "It was a pleasant surprise because we have always been competitive and qualified in second place gave us all the confirmation we needed. We are right on track and the team's work has really paid off in the second half of the season," said Monteiro .

In the first race, the Honda Civic # 18 driver did everything to overtake pole sitter Yvan Muller but despite his best efforts, he was unable to do so. "I pushed as hard as I could, but the Chevrolet was faster so I defended my second place until the end. This podium is the best way possible to end the season. The last quarter of the season has been very positive on a personal level, but also Honda has shown their full potential."

Starting from the fourth row of the grid for race two, Tiago had more moderate ambitions. "The start was great, I was fourth after the first lap," smiled Tiago. "Unfortunately, the race was stopped and I had to start again. Things did not go very well after that. I struggled after Muller touched me.

It damaged my left rear wheel and I was forced to retire. This is not how I wanted to finish the year, but we know that anything can happen in Macau. These races are for Gladiators! The first one worked for me, the second did not. Otherwise, the weekend was great."

The result of the first race allows Tiago Monteiro to climb up into eighth place in the final standings of the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship, WTCC.

Tiago Monteiro