Monteiro hurts his back in Malaysia

Tiago Monteiro was back in action today for Midland F1 Racing at the Sepang International Circuit. The track is very demanding on cars and drivers with its long, fast corners and hot and humid atmospheric conditions. A "high down-force track," says ...

Tiago Monteiro was back in action today for Midland F1 Racing at the Sepang International Circuit. The track is very demanding on cars and drivers with its long, fast corners and hot and humid atmospheric conditions. A "high down-force track," says Tiago.

Tiago Monteiro.

Photo by Midland F1 Racing.

During the overcast morning, Monteiro finished 14th fastest with a best lap of 1:39.899. He finished ahead of Midlands third driver Giorgio Mondini and team mate Christijan Albers (17th, 1:40.608).

Monteiro managed his time despite a fuel system problem which stopped his car after only eight laps. In the afternoon session Monteiro improved his time to 1:39.416.

"I had to stop just after we put fresh tyres on. My back was blocked. A nerve pinched. It was hurting terribly. So I did not take advantage of the new set of tyres. The physio, Alex, treated me about one hour after the session. But it still hurts."

Tiago continues: "On Thursday I jogged around a few laps of the track in the hot conditions, Montiero explained. It brought back good memories of last year when I finished 12th after a very tough race."

"I'm confident we have some good pace in the car and despite the reliability problem today. Overall it was a good first day and its all looking positive for the rest of the weekend."