Glock: Dry running essential for Virgin

Timo Glock is praying the rain abates at this week's Jerez test - so his Virgin Racing team can find out exactly where it stands compared to the opposition.

After a frustrating first day of testing, where the late arrival of parts and wet weather meant Glock could complete just a handful of laps, the German is keen to get a picture of just how competitive the new VR-01 is.

As Virgin is a new team, and has designed its car without the use of a windtunnel, the former Toyota driver is well aware that the outfit is stepping into new territory.

"It's different you know [to Toyota], it makes no sense if you sit here and think 'bloody hell, bloody hell I want to drive!' because this situation will not change," Glock told reporters after the testing.

"You just have to back off yourself a little bit, just stay normal and help the team - give the team confidence in what they're doing.

"The mechanics are pretty well and for me it's easy to adapt because I know we can't do something special in the first year - this is just not possible in Formula 1.

"It is normal that it will be a slower start, but I think when we build up everything in a rhythm and it's running smooth then we should be not too bad.

"I think the way Nick Wirth, who has designed the car, and all the guys back in the office do a proper job, they know what they do.

"For the first test we have just a solid baseline car, there is nothing magic on the car, but I think it will come in the future. We have some good stuff to come for the first race.

"I'm sure there are some updates coming, but the question is how far we are away from midfield running teams? Where is our starting point? That is what we have to wait until it's dry for – to see where we are."

Glock thinks that even if the initial baseline of the car is good, it will still take some time for Virgin Racing to find its feel in F1.

"I think the first three or four races, or even the first year, will still be a test for us," he said. "Every race will be a test for us rather than a real proper race."