The sixth round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, WTCC, which was held in Russia this weekend, did not produce the desired results for Tiago Monteiro. After brilliantly qualifying in 3rd place for race one, the Portuguese driver crossed the line down in 7th place and was then forced to retire with just three laps to go in race two due to a mechanical problem.

Before taking the start of the race in Moscow, Tiago knew he would need to be aggressive and take certain risks to obtain a good result. He had a good start, but he touched his fellow Honda driver, Gabrielle Tarquini after Lopez closed the door on both drivers when they were running 3rd and 2nd respectively, losing places as a result. "I had a good start, but I lightly touched Gabriele Tarquini and I lost a place in the scrum," explained the Honda Civic # 18 driver. "Then I tried to regain my position by taking a few risks as I had nothing to lose in the championship. Unfortunately, I went off track and I lost a few places. It could of paid of big, but unfortunately this time, it didn't."

Starting eighth in race two, Tiago won a few battles and several places... "I passed and passed again. It was a very eventful race and very rough, with a few small collisions. Towards the end, the engine gave out while I was trying to pass in 3rd gear," regretted Tiago, who had risen to 4th place close behind third with a fifth consecutive podium within his reach. "But in terms of the championship this weekend, there was no drama," he added. "The changes we made enabled us to be more competitive and fight head to head with our rivals. This is the very positive part of this weekend."

The next two races of the FIA WTCC will take place in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on the 21st and 22nd of June.