Honda drivers will need to ‘be clever’ in Marrakech opening race

The three Honda drivers monopolised the top three in qualifying with Rob Huff, Norbert Michelisz and Tiago Monteiro in that order. All three drivers agree that the main race should be the focus, and the shorter opening race will have to be based upon keeping the cars in one piece for the second heat.

“For us, as a team, we are looking very much at the second race,” admitted pole sitter Rob Huff. “The opening will be about survival. If we can manage to take a few points it would be fantastic, but the focus is on the main race.”

When asked about his views on the subject, Norbert Michelisz agree with his team-mate: “It’s difficult to answer, but we really need to be clever. For us, the target is to win the main race, and for me if I take a look at the starting grid for the main race I believe scoring two, three or four more points in the first heat is enough to justify taking risks. The whole team would need a 1-2-3 result and our focus should be on that.”

Tiago Monteiro echoed: “Like Norbert said, we will need to be aggressive but without being stupid. We need to be careful, sometimes bad things come your way and you can’t do anything about it, but if you can avoid it then it’s better to focus on the second race.”

The Portuguese driver also explained his recent strong form: “To be honest it is about the details. I work with the engineers, and by fine-tuning the small details on the car I feel very comfortable in it. Of course we did a fantastic job during the winter, and I am really happy to be a Honda driver.”

Monteiro is 11 points shy of Citroën’s José María López and is fully in the fight for the championship.