Tiago shines in Montreal

By Phil Giles
June 12 2005

Tiago Monteiro became a record breaker today after he successfully completed eight grand prix on the trot in his first season of Formula One.

During a race of attrition, the Jordan drivers suffered mixed fortunes.  Narain had a good start but with just eight laps gone, he ran wide allowing Tiago to scoot passed him.  Narain retook the place at the first round of pit stops but his race ended on lap 25 when he hit the wall and damaged the right rear suspension.  The same place where Fernando Alonso's race ended a few laps down.

"I had a problem at the start and did not make a good get away." said Narain.  "However, I managed to pass Friesacher. Then a few laps later, I ran wide in the first corner and the exit of the second corner and Monteiro overtook me. I pushed really hard to improve my position and I was in front of Tiago again after the first pit stop. Unfortunately, I went in the dirt a little bit and clipped the wall, which made me retire. It is really a pity to finish the race like this but I will do my best in Indianapolis next week."

"It was a hard and long race today," said Monteiro. "I fought quite a lot with Narain, as I wanted to keep the pace up as much as I could. With the safety car on the track, I struggled to keep the tyres in temperature a little bit. I think I have beaten the record of finishing for a rookie and I am really happy with this. I also would like to thank the team for such a reliable car."

Adrian Burgess concluded, "It was a very eventful race for Jordan Grand Prix today. I would like to congratulate Tiago for breaking the record of consecutive race finishes in his first year in Formula One. It is very impressive for him. Narain made a small mistake, which was unfortunate but we are relatively satisfied with the progress we are making so far. Now we will work hard to have another good race in Indianapolis next week."