Monteiro back at Indy: Q+A
The history books will forever show that Tiago Monteiro earned third place at the 2005 United States Grand Prix and shared the podium with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. Although we all know the fourteen Michelin-shod cars did not participate and the race was one of the strangest in F1 history, it was nevertheless a special day for both Tiago and the nascent Midland team (still competing as Jordan at the time).
With teammate Narain Karthikeyan finishing fourth, the two yellow cars displayed solid reliability and, along with the Ferraris and Minardis, at least gave the disappointed American fans something to watch.
We asked Tiago for his memories of that race and his thoughts on returning to the Brickyard this year.
Last year’s US GP was a strange weekend for everyone. How do you feel about going back there?“I’m quite curious, actually, to see what kind of welcome we will receive from the fans this weekend. In any event, it’s always fun for me to come back to the US. I know a lot of people who live here from my Champ Car days, so we had a barbecue in Indianapolis with my former mechanics and engineers, and it was great to just kick back and catch up. On the racing side, it’s obviously a track where I’ve had some strong moments. I don’t think it will be the same this year – definitely not – but we’re still looking for a good result, because it’s a track where we were already performing well last year, and with the evolution of the car now, we should be even better.”
What are your memories of last year?“Lots of intense moments. It was an amazing opportunity for my career, really -- a crazy opportunity that I grabbed. It was something that happens once in your lifetime, and it was probably one of the craziest races in F1 history. I’m actually glad I was part of it.”
When you went to the grid, did you actually know that the others were all going to stop?“We knew for sure that some of the drivers would not be starting. The only thing we had in mind was that there was an opportunity to score points. We knew that, but we had no idea that all of them were going to stop.”
What did you say to the team when they all started peeling into the pits on the warm-up lap?“I asked, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ They told me, ‘Keep your position, keep your position, they’re all coming in, but the race is still on.’”
Was it hard to find your grid position with so much empty space ahead?“It was difficult, actually, as there was such a big gap! The worst part was when I realised that I was third at the start, with 70 laps to go. I knew that I needed to pull away as much as I could from my competitors, and then I kept worrying about something going wrong -- a technical problem popping up or something. The good thing is that for 60 laps, I hardly looked in my mirrors, and I was able to push like crazy. I had a very good car there, and I was really competitive compared to the others. But the last 10 laps were very difficult.”
At some point, did you think about what would happen if one or both of the Ferraris retired?“I didn’t know about the near collision between Michael and Rubens at the time, but afterwards, I learned that they almost touched! In a way, it was better that it ended the way it did. I would have a won a race, fair enough, but I also would have been on the podium with Narain Karthikeyan and a Minardi, and it wouldn’t have looked as impressive. In a few years, people might not remember the circumstances and will only see pictures of me next to the two Ferrari drivers. So in the end, it was probably better.”
What was it like getting out of the car and going to the podium? Michael and Rubens did not seem very happy…“That’s what pissed me off at the time! Behind the scenes, they were OK: both of them were in great moods; they grabbed me and congratulated me. And then, when they stepped on the stage, they had those long faces. I looked at them and thought, ‘OK, you guys can do whatever you want, but I’m going to celebrate!’ All of my mechanics were down there, shouting and laughing and crying with joy. They deserved it, and I was celebrating for them as well.”
It’s a very strange track, with a long straight and a tight infield. What do you think of it?“It’s a very tricky one, to be sure. Half of the lap is flat out, so you need a lot of top speed, but the other half is very technical. It’s a very tricky track to set-up for. Even though I know it won’t be the same as last year, I’m looking forward to it, because I really liked it last year. I know our car is a lot better this year, so I want to see how it compares.”
You’ve never driven the Indy oval, but after a year of racing in the USA, you have a good appreciation of how big the 500 is. Would you like to drive in it some day?“Yes, I was living in Miami that year, but because my team was based in Indy, I did spend much of my time here and I know how important this track is for American fans. I’ve driven on a few ovals, but never Indy, which is probably the most famous track in the world. I would have loved to try it. But hey, you never know… Maybe I will, one day!”
