Q&a With Monterio

[narain fan 0]

Former Champ Car racer Tiago Monteiro was a surprise late nomination for the Jordan team in 2005, and having been overshadowed by teammate Narain Karthikeyan in the early races he looked a lot stronger in the second half of the season. A podium finish at Indianapolis was the highlight of a season that saw the Portuguese driver establish an amazing finishing record, with just one mechanical failure in Brazil spoiling his remarkable run. It

[Panchito 0]

"It was one of my best races in terms of performance, because I pulled 30 seconds away from Narain."

Next year he

[Jem of the Shire 0]

Seems like a nice guy. Before 2005 I had never heard of him and I thought he was going to be rubbish

[narain fan 0]

[Where will be Narain?

personally ,i still maintain my stand that was expressed on one of my first posts here,""most probably he will not be part of the f1 circus next season!!!!!!!!

[bajo39 0]

personally ,i still maintain my stand that was expressed on one of my first posts here,""most probably he will not be part of the f1 circus next season!!!!!!!!

Good!

I must say Narain got used to the whole thing a bit quicker than me, and he was always two or three tenths faster than me in the beginning.Then when I got confident enough to be pushing like I wanted to, things got better on my side.

[Panchito 0]

personally ,i still maintain my stand that was expressed on one of my first posts here,""most probably he will not be part of the f1 circus next season!!!!!!!!

So what

[bajo39 0]

So what

[Panchito 0]

In Portuguese sound better because it rhyme! lol

[Senna 0]

I vow to open a bottle of bubbly on the day that all the 2006 seats have been finalised, with Narain not in any of them!

[bajo39 0]

I vow to open a bottle of bubbly on the day that all the 2006 seats have been finalised, with Narain not in any of them!

Indeed, I shall mirror your celebrations with a fine snifter of cognac.

[Senna 0]

[pumpdoc 2]

Indeed, I shall mirror your celebrations with a fine snifter of cognac.

Indeed, I shall mirror your celebration with a double shot of fine scotch.

[monza gorilla 1]

Indeed, I shall mirror your celebration with a double shot of fine scotch.

Ditto, with a nice Merlot.

[bajo39 0]

Ditto, with a nice Merlot.

I may have to share that bottle with you...

[monza gorilla 1]

I may have to share that bottle with you...

You are most welcome.

[Senna 0]

I

[narain fan 0]

Date: 17-11-05 19:32

Source: www.gp2005.com

Monteiro: I could not have dreamed of a better season

Tiago Monteiro was a force to be reckoned with in 2005, first debut season in the Formula One world championship. Undisputed rookie of the year, Tiago piled on the great performances despite the pressure of driving for one of the championship’s smallest teams, having to learn the sport, as well as being forced to handle the enormous pressure from his employer, the press, his country, and his sponsors.

A podium in the US, a point scored at Spa-Francorchamps, the determining race of the season under treacherous conditions, and an unrivalled reliability have been the icing on the cake for him this year, his talent behind the wheel finding its alter ego in his approach to competition. The Portuguese driver is one of the most solid mentally, a strength which has enabled him to keep from brooding when his teammate - Narain Karthikeyan - took the lead at the very start of the season.

Analytical in his way of working, Tiago waited patiently with coolness and serenity, moving his pawns around the Jordan Grand Prix chessboard as he opted to wait and learn to master the inner workings of the sport and his car before attempting to gain any ground. Monteiro stay strong and didn’t crack under the pressure, his performance curve moving steadily upward. It is rare for a rookie to make so much progress between the beginning and end of their debut season, and this has not gone unnoticed in the paddock.

Q - Tiago, what is your assessment of your rookie year after a learning season that got off to a sluggish start but finished at top speed?

TM - My assessment is extremely positive. I could not have dreamed of a better season, with a very nice progression throughout the year with tremendous reliability. Every time a great opportunity presented itself, I seized it. So overall this first season was phenomenal, with 7 points, a podium and constant progression.

Q - In Barcelona the criticism was pouring down, but I reassured you that you would be ahead of Narain in no time after your analytical style had gained the upper hand, and I was right…

TM - Yes, and you are probably the only one in your profession (laughs). The start of the season was a school of hard knocks for me and it's true that Narain got the upper hand on me; he adapted to the car more quickly and especially to the qualifying system. He got up to speed faster. Then the tables were turned, he lost his footing and I was on the rise and making progress regularly, which motivated everyone around me. As far as the consequences goes, it was fantastic for the investors, the sponsors; and for my country, Portugal, which gave me unbelievable and unexpected support - it was a joy and a national pride.

Q- Are you aware of having done a lot of damage to Narain’s career?

TM - From the time when I approached his performances and then surpassed him he made more and more mistakes. He was doing it when I was behind him in a race for example, and I came up on him and then passed him. Unfortunately - I say unfortunately because I really like Narain who is a really good person - it’s the law of competition. Honestly, at the time I did not realize the pressure I was placing on him, and it's the entourage that opened my eyes to it because I did not realize it day to day. I was too focused on my subject.

Q - The EJ15B did not really leave a strong impression. Was it really the change you were hoping for?

TM - I have to admit that everyone was pretty disappointed. The bar had been placed too high. It was almost impossible, in the middle of the season, to make up lost time. When the car is too young or too old, a miracle is impossible. We had placed high hopes on the development of the EJ15, and so the result was disappointing but you also have to keep in mind that with so little testing you can't hope for much. The EJ15B was still noticeably better than its predecessor, which is to the credit of the whole crew, who never gave up, and who I take my hat off to. The ideal would have been to drive it earlier in the season; it might have able to do much better then.

Q - What was the hardest thing for you this year, rookie that you were: the lack of resources or knowledge?

TM - The lack of knowledge firstly. You have to learn everything: to handle people, pressure, sponsors, and the press. At every race it was like our life was on the line! We never had a moment’s rest. So it was hard to handle at first, then you make progress little by little. Financially speaking the season was also pretty frustrating for all.

Q - More than the fact that you dominated Karthikeyan, which was not a surprise when all is said and done, it is your mental state which made the biggest impression on me. More than one driver would have cracked after such difficult beginnings. The pressure seems to wash over you, and you still make progress come what may and are stronger with each Grand Prix. The parallel with Raikkonen may shock some, but I am making it!

TM - (laughs), Thanks. I never had a doubt, I had confidence in myself and I know what I am capable of. Even when many journalists said that I was no good, I put it aside and told them “you’ll see soon…” I know my style and I knew that it would take me some time to be really competitive in the first year. Even if some critics were frustrating, I brushed them aside and I didn’t let them shake me; my confidence didn't suffer, and neither did the confidence of those around me.

Q - What are you most proud of this year: the season as a whole, or your great showing at Spa?

TM - The season as a whole, I am really proud of it! It is so hard to get started in F1 with so much pressure and responsibility. It is easy to crack, between the financial and technical difficulties that you may encounter in the first year. I am proud of having gotten back on my feet and showing what I am capable of. Of course Indy, China, and Spa were very important here and there.

Q - You are the rookie of the year, is that an important honour for you at a time when you are negotiating for the future?

TM - Yes. Rookie of the year with four other drivers that have a very good record - they had all won races or championships - it's not nothing. Without wanting to take away from the merit of some, in some years the promotion was not as nice. I think that all the rookies were very fast this year. I was not certain of being the best of the four at the beginning of the year.

Q - What is your favourite memory from the season, and the most painful?

TM - My favourite memory is my first F1 start, feeling you don't forget and that you only know once. The podium and Spa were great moments, especially taken collectively. They were moments of a rare intensity, when you see the whole team on the wall, when you are the last link in the chain and you can reward everyone’s efforts, you get a certain fullness. For us, a point at Spa was like a win. The most painful was the DNF at Brazil of course, the only one of a season in a country that is dear to me.

Q - You got started autoracing very late, and ultimately you have a third of the experience that Alonso had behind the wheel in terms of years (but not disciplines). Is it a drawback on a sporting and marketing level, or are you managing to make people understand that your progress was meteoric?

TM - At the most it was an argument in my favour, explaining that starting fairly late gives me a broader mental opening and different life experience. I am still in the learning phase, every day. I have good room for growth in front of me. That's how I feel it now, even if it was not the case during my start in competition, when some were just looking for a chance to talk about you behind your back.

Q - Starting in competition so late did you have models and ambitions, or did you take the years of competition as they came without setting a goal for yourself?

TM - In the beginning I didn't have any career goal, no model either. I am sufficiently constructed mentally to do without that (laughs). Then things happened and I had the ambition of making a career in auto racing, but F1 seemed inapproachable and out of reach. It remained a far-off dream, but not an obsession. One day it became clear when I sat in an F1 car, in December 2002...I remember your encouragement! Then I only had just one ambition: F1, because I had just experienced the biggest sensation in my life in auto racing.

Q - The single flying lap isn’t your cup of tea, which went against you this year because one of your best qualities is your racing competitiveness. The qualifying format for 2006 should suit you better. In the World Series by Nissan, pole didn’t scare you either, Kovalainen remembers it…

TM - Yes exactly! I always loved qualifying and I got a lot of poles because in 3 laps I could get the most out of the car. But this year there was too much to lose compared to what you could gain. I didn’t want to lose it all in one lap. Three laps is perfect: one to get a time, then you can try to get real fast time.

Q - What are your strong points and the ones that you would like to improve?

TM - My strong points are the potential for adapting to different situations, psychological resistance and quickness racing. What I need to improve: my top speed in qualifying.

Q - What do you think about the FIA proposals on aerodynamics and the infamous CDG?

TM - To be frank I haven’t analyzed these proposals in detail. I am in favour of the principle underlying these proposals: encouraging passing and removing the downforce from F1, but that's all I can say for now.

Q - Like behind the wheel, you would rather analyze the situation before diving in…

TM - Yes (laughs). CDG…so is it the best solution? I don’t know and I am not an engineer, it would be presumptuous on my part to give lessons on the subject. Let’s leave the talking to the professionals who have studied so much to reach the top.

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another interview!

2 in 2 days ,now i am convinced that tiago has signed the contract for next season with midland

[Taku 0]

"Tiago Monteiro was a force to be reckoned with in 2005"

love the hyperbole!

[monza gorilla 1]

I

[Senna 0]

Air Mail and plenty of bubble wrap.

I look forward to the day when it is confirmed that Narain is jobless. It will be a special moment.

[Vas 0]

For Startin very late in his career and reaching this level, TM is commendable even if he is surviving as a paid driver.

One sore point is he is in Midland which is going to struggle further for resources as they may end lower than "AS" and hence not collect Bernie's money. And also AS driver's will overshadow TM in 2006 because of better car (If AS takes off) and make finding a seat more difficult for the year 2007. Midland, next year too will go for paid driver and TM gettin backing for third year runnin will look very amusing.

The interview was a stage managed one to get maximum out of it for TM. The interviewer is in hand in glove with TM. One of the goal is to kick NK's a** and was executed quite admirably. It was put as if they are intended to praise NK but they know the end result will be NK will be put in bad light.

The biggest setback in NK's F1 career is not making any genuine advances in relation management as this TM's reaction is due NK's comments in the start of the season2005. For TM it is payback time.

[bajo39 0]

For Startin very late in his career and reaching this level, TM is commendable even if he is surviving as a paid driver.