Tiago Monteiro: “This year is a difficult season for me”

Tiago Monteiro, how do you react to the news of the weekend and the departure of Lynk & Co? 

It is certain that this is not the best situation in which we find ourselves. There weren't many of us, going down to 12 isn't great. I am not going to comment on their decision, but it is certain that since Vallelunga (in Italy, the five Lynk&Co 03s did not participate in the two races, editor's note) they wanted to highlight that there are problems with the tires, no one is happy with that. But I think we have to work with them (Goodyear, editor's note) and try to find out the reasons for the problem and try to resolve them. It is not by abandoning the championship that things will be resolved.

Fortunately, the WTCR is working on alternatives to replenish the grid a little for the last two races of the season. Then there will be winter to put things back to normal. The teams are not only complaining about the tires, but also about the calendar, the circuits on which we run. The championship needs a boost to get back on its feet. The reflection must be general and united instead of pulling each other in the legs. 

Let's come back to you, it's a complicated situation, you are certainly not in the place you think you could be? 

This year is a difficult season for me. This is certainly the hardest season of my career in tourism. We really have a lot of problems. It's hard to point out what's happening to us, there are so many little things that add up. We are in a new team which is discovering and learning (Tiago and Attila Tassi moved from Münnich Motorsport to Team Engstler, editor's note). They have a working method that is really different from what I have known. They have enormous potential.

We need better coordination of our work and above all we need time together! But when you don't test the car outside of race weekends, it's complicated. Everything goes very quickly in WTCR, if everything is not well coordinated, you easily find yourself last. You quickly gain 5 or 6 tenths in the lead because you are facing drivers who quickly make the difference within teams which are almost official teams. This is not at all our state of mind both at Honda and in the team. 

Tiago Monteiro finished 12th and 9th in the two FPs of the day. ©fabgerard

How do you see the end of your season? 

I live race after race. I try to improve everything meeting after meeting. That means myself, since we don't test, I'm not always at my best. I haven't done any private sessions since March. Since we have FP0 (an additional test session from Vallelunga, editor's note) it's a little better I can work a little more and prepare better. I have one more hour to work.

But when you're up against top professionals who ride almost every week or fortnight, you don't have much hope. Everything can be improved, there is nothing wrong in our structure but we need to adjust everything. We are not giving up, neither me, nor the team, nor Honda. Every driver goes through moments like this in their career, I've had other difficult moments and you tell yourself that you can't have worse. When this is the case, it's up to you to learn to come out better and changed.  

The Rhine ring, a new circuit for everyone, do you feel that you have a chance to play? 

It's really special here, but I think it's a really good track for touring cars. It's quite atypical, it reminds me of Snetterton in England. It's the old school, not very wide and the last very technical sector gives it a really interesting characteristic.

It will be hard to overtake, buttouring car» we always find room to overtake. I'm not really comfortable, there are two or three very complicated places with very fast turns. You have to have confidence in your car and your equipment in these passages and I don't yet have the confidence to really let go. But we will work and it will get better, I have no doubt.

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