Tiago Monteiro beat Yvan Muller to WTCC glory in his native Portugal last weekend – almost a month after their dramatic crash at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. And Muller said the right man had won following their bumper-to-bumper battle through the streets of Vila Real.
Monteiro made the most of his DHL pole position to lead Muller through the opening turn, which proved decisive in the outcome of the Main Race, with neither driver faltering during the 14-lap contest.
“I’m pleased for him, he deserved to win,” said Muller, who was unable to avoid crashing into Monteiro’s stricken Honda in Germany when the Portuguese crashed out following a puncture. “It’s always a great pleasure to win a race especially in front of your country so I’m pleased. Congrats to him, it’s nice and he deserved it.”
Monteiro’s win means Muller’s wait for a 2016 WTCC victory goes on. “I pushed hard but it was impossible to overtake,” said the Citroën racer. “I just push, did my job and I bring the car back to second and score some points.”