Tiago Monteiro hails ‘nice and fair’ battle with López

Tiago Monteiro completed a Honda 1-2-3 by claiming third in the main race at Marrakech, Morocco. The Portuguese driver was overtaken by Citroën’s José María López, but managed to get back past the Argentinian to complete the all-Honda podium.

“I had a very good start, and I was able to pass Norbi (Michelisz),” said Monteiro. “I knew he was on the outside so I gave him some room, but I had a lot of wheelspin coming out of Turn 1, which allowed not only my team-mate but also Pechito (José María López) to pass.”

Despite the setback, the Portuguese was never worried: “I thought it was going to be a long race when he overtook me, I was obviously not too happy but I was quite optimistic, the race was very long and I knew something could happen. When I started putting pressure on him I saw he made little mistakes, but not enough to overtake. Suddenly he made a bigger one, I had the opportunity and had to jump on the inside. We came very, very close to each other but it was nice and fair.”

Monteiro admits he had pressure from his rival for the entire race: “After that he kept the pressure, he was always there. We had a similar pace, but it was really, really close, and he was never going to let go, I knew he wanted that place back. In the end we managed to do what we really wanted and looked for for so long, it was fantastic, and congratulations to my team-mates, I’m really happy for everyone and we deserved it.”

Despite Honda’s success in the main race, López still managed to extend his lead by three points in the championship over the weekend, as the Argentinian now has a 14-point margin over Monteiro.