Monteiro pleased with first test

The Portuguese driver sat out the first round of the series in Brazil recently, and he was happy to begin working with the team properly.

"It has been a very good and important test, because this is the first time I have worked with the SEAT Sport team as an official driver," he said.

Monteiro had already tested with the team prior to signing a race deal for 2007, but he admitted that his previous outing had not been too serious.

"In Valencia in the winter I limited myself to making contact with the team," he said. "The laptimes I did in the Leon did not have any value."

Monteiro is having to learn about the characteristics of a front-wheel drive car for the first time in his career, and he admitted to finding the transition difficult, especially in qualifying trim.

"The most difficult thing for me is to adapt to the front traction, as this is very different from even the GT or Porsche which I have raced - never mind the F1 cars," he added.

"What worries me more if the question of the tyres, since it is very difficult to find the limit when they are new. This is crucial in qualifying, and this is an area we are going to work on very hard."

SEAT's next on-track appearance will be at an official WTCC test at the beginning of April.