Tiago Monteiro

"There are more astronauts than there are drivers competing in the Formula 1”

Engines warmed up for this season, Tiago Monteiro leaves the wheel and comes to talk to TRENDS. The title of the only Portuguese driver to have achieve a podium position in Formula 1 (F1) belongs to him, as no other Portuguese has succeeded him on the track so far. From Hotel Management, to F1, to the transition to the top of the Touring Car category, to the severe accident in 2017, to predictions for the future, the Oporto native opens his heart. Life has already brought him another reality, a more delicate and sweeter one, that of being a father. Of his two barely similar children, Noah is the one who has followed in his footsteps, by which the driver guarantees that everything is the result of "a series of happy coincidences and well-timed opportunities”. This is Tiago Monteiro, the Portuguese man with his feet on the ground, who is not fazed by his remaining years in the business.

You had just finished your degree in Hotel Management and, by a happy coincidence, motorsport came into your life. How did it all happen?
Motorsport in general has always been a passion, but it became a reality when I lived in France. I remember that my father and a group of friends had begun to get into racing and I would accompany them to some events. Then an invitation came along to join them in a race. While I was preparing for this opportunity - which was just a bit of fun at the time - I took a driving course with a former French driver and things actually went very well considering my inexperience. In fact, they went so well that my father was pressurised into letting me race. From then on, the story changed a bit and other opportunities started to come up. Seven years went by from that stage to the Formula 1.... It wasn’t by chance, but it was a series of happy coincidences and well-timed opportunities that allowed me to get this far. I will always be very grateful to those who took the first steps with me.

You were the first and only Portuguese driver to take a podium spot in Formula 1. Does that still come with a great responsibility?
I don’t know if I’d say responsibility, but it’s certainly a great honour and a source of pride. It had been a long road to Formula 1 and there was the added difficulty of having achieved it in a short space of time. It’s a very difficult environment. Making it to F1 requires talent and the ability to seize opportunities at the right time. While I’m proud of my achievements in the Formula 1 ranks, I’m also saddened that Portugal hasn’t had any other driver on the track to succeed me. It wasn’t for a lack of talent, and that is more than proven by the successes that drivers like António Félix da Costa have achieved, but it is a fact that the country has not been able to support the great talents it has.

The history of Portuguese drivers in the Formula 1 is not a happy one. Where do its weaknesses lie?
F1 is, without a doubt, a very restricted championship. I often say that there are more astronauts than there are drivers competing in the Formula 1. Rather than pointing out the flaws, we should recognise the work done by those who got there. In fact, you only have to look at the nationalities represented on the track to realise that, for a country of our size and with a certain history in the sport, having had the chance to take the flag to the top of motorsport was a bit of an achievement.
As for actual Formula 1 careers, you have to be in a good team, with a good car, and that doesn’t just depend on the driver. Because it’s such a restricted environment, which moves so many people and money, the internal politics are also very intense. The fact that we are a small country with limited means does not help us to compete with countries with a greater tradition in the sport, or against those that can provide a lot of funds to promote drivers. I don’t mean to be defeatist by this, but we need a great political capacity and a clear strategy to try to reverse this trend and bring another Portuguese driver to the top of the sport.

Do people make friends in this sport?
Of course, as in all other sports. It’s a very competitive environment, of course, but we (drivers and teams) experience so much together that it’s only natural to make friends.

"After leaving Formula 1, I still thought I would be able to come back”

You ended up looking for new challenges, in a different category of motorsport other than the F1. How did you manage your emotions after leaving the top?
It was difficult, not least because after leaving the Formula 1, I still thought I would be able to come back. My last year in the sport was difficult, with changes in the team and a very uncompetitive car. It became clear that if I didn’t have the opportunity to progress, it would be best to look for a new challenge. And that’s what I did. After leaving Formula 1, I was invited to join the World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC) and there I found a great opportunity. I had to adapt, but I was facing a top-level championship, the top of the Touring Car category, a true world championship. It’s always difficult to leave Formula 1, but after all these years I think it was the right choice.

You had an accident in Barcelona in 2017 that robbed you of the chance to become world champion. Do you still think about the "what ifs”?
No... and I think it was that mentality that allowed me to recover, get back on track and win races. It’s true that I was having one of the best years of my career and if I’d had the chance to continue, it would have been hard to lose the championship, but that also motivated me to speed up the recovery process. Looking back from this distance, at that time, it was crazy to think I could race again in 2017, but I believed it would be possible. I remember that the probability of getting back to normal was very low and the probability of returning to racing was practically zero. It was over a year of recovery, dozens of doctors, hundreds of treatments and countless hours of training and physiotherapy. I was lucky to have a great team and great support from my family. Rather than having lost that championship, today I think of the victory that returning to a normal life has been, which has allowed me to return to competition and to the podiums.

What are your expectations for this season?
It’s been a very unusual season. The championship in which I was participating has ended and the world of Touring Cars is undergoing a major transformation. Foreseeing this, Honda, with whom I have a relationship, has left the World Touring Car programme and is evaluating other options. I’m looking forward to the near future and the possibility of returning to the track as soon as possible. However, I am proud to continue to be associated with this great brand, which I have represented for more than 10 years. I can only wait for the programme that Japan has set for me.

"We drive at the limit of a car and a track and we fight for tiny fractions of a second at every corner”

Do you expect to improve your performance this year?
Improving the performance is always the ambition. The day when I don’t feel that desire, or when the bad results don’t make me uncomfortable, will be the day when I decide to end my career.

Does luck also come into play on the track?
It does, always! We drive at the limit of a car and a track and we fight for tiny fractions of a second at every corner. Controlling all the factors is impossible, so having that "little star” on your side is always an important factor.

Do you consider yourself a cautious driver or a risk taker?
Both. There are circumstances in which I have to be more cautious and others in which I have to risk everything. With experience, I have learnt to manage those moments better and make more considered decisions, but I still take risks. After all these years, I still feel that when I put my helmet on my head, sitting inside that car with more than 60 degrees room temperature and in the pressure of the race, the instinct is the same.

Do you have any idols?
I don’t have any idols, but there are certain athletes and personalities who have been an inspiration to me. Not necessarily "figures from the past”, but even contemporaries of mine who, for one reason or another, are an inspiration and challenge me on a daily basis.

"Rather than having lost that championship, today I think of the victory that returning to a normal life has been”

You must spend more than half your time away from home. How do you balance your family life with your profession?
It’s not always easy and there are times when it’s more difficult. But this has been my life for a long time, so I look at the situation as being normal. I certainly spend a lot of time travelling, but when I’m at home I try to devote myself entirely to my family. I’m lucky to have their support, it’s that strength that has allowed me to stay active.

And are your children starting to show a desire to follow in their father’s footsteps?
Yes and no. Mel has other passions and talents, so she is very successful in other areas. Noah is the one who has already proven himself in karting. This year, he became an official driver for one of the world’s biggest manufacturers and has had an impressive career in the sport.

At this stage of your life, are you already thinking about when you will finish this phase in the world of motorsport? Are you thinking of taking up something else when the time comes?
I still don’t feel that I have lost the willingness and determination to go out on the track. I realise that, after such a long and full career, I’ll have fewer years left in the sport than I’ve already had, but I’m not thinking about stopping yet. Nevertheless, over the last ten years, I have already been involved in other activities, on the side, and in the future, I will focus on one of these. I’ve been working as a manager for some drivers with very impressove careers in the sport and, when the time comes to end my career, the goal will be to do that.