Tiago Monteiro released from hospital after Nürburgring smash

Honda’s Tiago Monteiro was released from hospital just a few hours after the race following precautionary checks. The Portuguese driver had suffered a high-speed crash on the final lap of the first race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife whilst leading, the cause of which has now been confirmed to be a tyre failure.

Monteiro had been fending off the two Citroëns of Yvan Muller and José María López, and had kept the lead heading into the final lap before his tyre punctured at Kesselchen and crashed out, with the two Citroëns behind him attempting to dive around each side in avoidance, with Muller making the unlucky choice and crashing into the Portuguese driver’s Honda Civic, with both out of the race and unable to start the second race.

“That was a very big accident and one I’m glad to come away from with only some bruising and quite a bit of soreness in my body,” said Monteiro.

“I have to say thank you to Honda for building such a strong car. It’s very frustrating because I was driving very carefully and not pushing too hard, but then I had a puncture at very high speed. My tactic was to be quite cautious in most places and then push to get a gap before the long straight to keep everyone else behind, and it’s certain that there was a very good chance to win.”

Monteiro remains second in the drivers’ standings but has slipped from 14 points behind López going into the weekend to 69 points adrift heading to the next round of the championship in Russia.