Local rookie with ‘strong desire’ for a good result in first GP

Tiago Rodrigues

Making his debut at the Guia Circuit, local teen Tiago Rodrigues is hoping for the best for his first-ever Grand Prix weekend.

The 16-year-old is well aware of the Guia Street Circuit’s challenges and the strong opposition of more experienced racers but still, he is keen for a Top 5 finish, he has told the Times.

“I have hope and a strong desire to reach a good result at the Macau circuit. My biggest goal is to be in the top five and achieve a good result,” Rodrigues said.

“Given the level of competition, I understand this could be considered ambitious, but I think this is a realistic goal I can achieve with hard work.”

“I understand that I will have a difficult task ahead of me as a relatively inexperienced driver in this type of Formula 4 car as I only have one race experience with the car in Zhuzhou. This is particularly important since some of my [race] rivals have already had over ten races with this car,” he said.

Prepared to take advantage of every minute on track to achieve his goal, Rodrigues noted the importance of being able to quickly optimize the car’s performance at the early stage of the event.

“I intend to collaborate in a very clear and objective way with my engineering team, considering both my individual preferences and the unique characteristics of the Macau track.”

The short track time (only 45 minutes of Free Practice before the Qualifying session) can be a conditioning factor, particularly if there are interruptions to this session but Rodrigues is in high spirits and will face any adversity that crosses his path.

MDT is a sponsor of Tiago Rodrigues.