Jordan Grand Prix driver Tiago Monteiro had a great start at the Hungarian GP but unfortunately he was hit by Albers, which forced him to pit with a right rear puncture and as a result change his pit stop strategy. Despite finishing down in 13^th place, the Portuguese driver is thrilled to have kept his record of GP finishes alive.

“This is another finish for me, which is good for my record and the team. The car was again very reliable. Unfortunately, we are paying the price for kamikaze drivers around us at the beginning,” he said. “I know this is part of racing but this is annoying. I had a great start, gained three positions and then someone punched my rear tyre at the braking point. After that, the race was pretty boring for me. I was pushing like crazy to try to catch up as much as possible. The car felt ok; I had a little bit of understeering but generally it was good. I am sorry for the team for the start as they really did a good job.”

Meanwhile, teammate Narain Karthikeyan took advantage of the situation at the beginning to gain a few positions. The race then settled into a consistent rhythm with both drivers setting consistent lap times. The team had the satisfaction of seeing both cars take the chequered flag in 12th and 13th places.

“I had a decent start I think, avoided the mayhem at the first corner and gained a few positions. Then I kept on pushing throughout the race. It was the toughest physically race of my life but I also drove the most consistent race of my F1 career,” Narain said. “My lap times were always steady. I have done well for the last two races and hopefully for the rest of the season this will continue.”

“Another good strong performance for Narain today. He came home in 12th position,” added Adrian Burgess. “Poor Tiago, he got involved in the incident at the first corner, which resulted in a puncture. He then drove a very good race to bring the car home for the 13th consecutive time. It was a difficult race for the pair of them, trying to keep out of the way of the leaders, which they did without any incidents. Our strategy worked over the two days, allowing us to beat our immediate opposition but we have to keep on improving the car in order to focus on the teams in front.”

Source: Jordan