WTCC 2017 – Monteiro to attend Qatar, Guerrieri to race

Tiago Monteiro will return to the FIA World Touring Car Championship paddock for the first time since July at next week’s season finale in Qatar.

Although Tiago will not compete at the Losail International Circuit, he will be on-hand to support Honda drivers Norbert Michelisz, Ryo Michigami and Esteban Guerrieri; who will deputise for a third straight event.

The Portuguese racer, who was leading the Drivers’ Championship as the WTCC headed into its summer break, is still yet to fully recover from the effects of a high-speed testing incident at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in September.

He is, however, keen to see Norbert and Honda come from behind to win both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles at the Losail International Circuit.

Tiago Monteiro 18

“While I’m obviously disappointed not to be driving in Qatar, I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of Norbi and Honda becoming WTCC Champions and simply wouldn’t dream of not being there with the team and my incredible mechanics to witness what could be an historic moment. I’ve been part of Honda’s line-up since the inception of the project in 2012 and feel like I’ve made a large contribution; all of which leads up to this moment. Realistically, despite having led the championship for much of the year, I knew my title hopes were over when I was unable to race in Macau, so this one feels like less of a blow. With a full winter ahead of me to continue my recovery, I’m not going to take any unnecessary risks and instead aim to return to the cockpit of a racing car next year.”
– Castrol Honda WTCC