Glock to drive sole upgraded Virgin

Virgin Racing has only been able to complete urgently needed modifications to one of the two cars it will bring to the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix, owing to the disruption caused by last month’s Icelandic volcano eruption.

Having discovered that the fuel tank on its VR-01 was not large enough to complete races at full speed, the fledgling team had intended to have two new chassis ready for the start of the European season.

But the closure of airspace caused by the volcano ash cloud kept many team personnel stranded in Shanghai for up to five additional days, foiling plans to prepare and homologate two chassis with lengthened fuel tanks.

As a result only the more experienced of Virgin’s drivers, Timo Glock, will have a fully upgraded car at his disposal in Barcelona.

“Having worked tirelessly to prepare the new car for the race, including its successful rehomologation, it is a bitter pill to swallow that we are unable to complete the second car due to the ‘volcanic delays’,” said technical director Nick Wirth.

“Running two fundamentally different specification cars at Barcelona will certainly challenge the team, but, as the reliability fixes apply to both specifications, we’ll keep our heads down and focus solely on getting both cars to the chequered flag.”

Team principal John Booth added: “What should have been a useful three-week break in the calendar, and an opportunity to ensure we are fully prepared for the European season, turned into something of a race against time thanks to the fallout from ‘The Volcano’.

“It took up to five days after the Chinese Grand Prix before the entire team were back in England, so we had to rush headlong into preparations for Spain.

“The planned modifications to the chassis were always going to be our most significant development, but they were also the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we will bring to Barcelona.

“As a new team we will be using new trucks and a new motorhome for the first time and on top of that we moved into our new race preparation facility while the team were stranded in China, so we certainly had a lot going on for us when we finally made it home.

“Nonetheless, the team have done an admirable job and we’ll be heading to Spain this week full of optimism for the next phase of our debut season.”

Glock is optimistic the team will make progress over the next few races, but admits it will be harder running two cars to different specifications in Barcelona.

“The last few weeks haven’t exactly gone according to plan thanks to the Icelandic volcano, but what this has enabled us to do is draw a line under the disappointment of Shanghai and focus on better things ahead,” said the German.

“We have taken a good hard look at the first four races and now have a very clear picture of where things have gone well for us and where we need to improve.

“It’s a shame that we couldn’t bring two new modified chassis to Spain, because we would have had two sets of data to work from, but we will work with what we have and hope that it brings the kind of results we are hoping for.”

Rookie team-mate Lucas di Grassi said: “Though I’m disappointed that I will be driving the previous specification chassis, as we didn’t have enough time to modify two cars, I hope with all the work we’ve been doing to make our race weekends go more smoothly we can have a positive European debut.”

Wirth: Glock a huge asset to Virgin

Virgin Racing technical director Nick Wirth says he regards Timo Glock's faith in the team as a major endorsement of its potential.

Former Toyota driver Glock made an early decision to join the new squad rather than chasing vacancies with established teams.

Wirth said signing an experienced driver had always been a priority for him, having seen the positive effect that David Brabham had on the Acura sportscar project, in which Wirth Research designed the LMP cars.

"The day Timo signed I nearly burst into tears, I couldn't believe it," said Wirth.

"I stuck my whole company's reputation and our contract on the line at one particular moment during the Acura programme to get David Brabham to drive the car, because David was one of my F1 drivers [at Simtek], and I know as an engineer how critical it is to have a lead driver with lots of experience and who is someone you can trust, and who is quick and all the other bits and pieces.

"I said to management, I hope we're not forced to get two young, inexperienced drivers who help the finance by bringing budget.

"And when Timo came along, quite late on in the process, on his way to look at another Formula 1 team, and we spent three hours together and he saw the process, he understood this digital [design] process because he's got friends who drive my Acuras.

"So he phones them up and says 'what's this nutter like, is he any good?', and they told him whatever, and he just flew back with his manager and said 'we're going to do this'.

"I was just literally over the moon, because Timo to me represents all that I wanted - someone who has driven the slick tyres, he has two years' experience, he's a GP2 champion and he's so young, and so grounded."

Virgin has signed former Renault test driver and GP2 frontrunner Lucas di Grassi as Glock's team-mate, a choice that Wirth is also very happy with.

"We've got a lot of engineers from Renault who have joined us," he said. "Lucas has been a test driver there for two years. They were super-enthusiastic about Lucas's testing ability, feedback and skill."

Di Grassi to partner Glock at Virgin

Virgin Racing has confirmed that Lucas di Grassi is to race alongside Timo Glock at the team next year.

After what the team itself called 'the worst kept secret in F1', Virgin Racing unveiled its new logo and showed off its drivers in public at a launch in Notting Hill, London, on Tuesday.

Although Glock signed for the team several weeks ago, di Grassi only recently committed to the outfit - having tested for the Renault team in the recent run out for young drivers in Jerez.

Di Grassi arrives at the team after four seasons in GP2, and having gained experience of F1 through his role as a Renault test driver.

"It feels great to be here, it's a dream come true for me after two years of being a test driver, and from that and from GP2 I feel I'm ready and am very confident in this team," said di Grassi.

"We're here to race, not to do politics or mess around, we're here to race."

The team's sporting director John Booth said he was delighted with the line-up.

"I have 20 years' experience working with drivers," he said. "I have been privileged to work with some fantastic drivers in that time and I hope that's helped in giving me an eye for a good driver.

"The four drivers we have here are the four we wanted in our line-up, they're the perfect drivers."

Glock joins Manor for 2010

Timo Glock has been announced as Manor Grand Prix's first driver for its maiden Formula 1 World Championship assault next year.

The 27-year-old German, who had also been linked with a move to Renault for 2010, joins the British team following two seasons with Toyota.

"I had several options for 2010, some of them with more established teams," said Glock.

"Every driver has the same overall objective - to win the world championship one day - but the way I want to succeed is to be part of the process of building a team and to play a key role in developing the car. This is why the opportunity with Manor Grand Prix is so exciting for me.

"I have spent a lot of time with [technical director] Nick Wirth, [team principal] John Booth and other members of the team and what I liked most is that this a real racing team run by true racers.

"The team may be small and new but it has big ambitions and a very impressive car and development programme. I am confident that I can play a big role in terms of my technical input and that's a fantastic opportunity for me. I can't wait to start testing the new car early next year."

Wirth, who previously ran the Simtek F1 team from 1994-95, said that he was pleased to have snapped up the 2007 GP2 champion.

"It has always been my recommendation that we have at least one driver with experience of the 2009 cars to help our development programme, but to get a driver that has not only achieved podium finishes in 2009 but has such proven talent and the potential to take us forward for many years is very exciting," he said.

"The fact that he has come and seen all aspects of the project before making his decision speaks volumes about what we have achieved so far. Now we just can't wait to get Timo into the new car once track testing begins next year."

Glock finished 10th in last year's world championship with Toyota, despite missing the final two races following a heavy qualifying crash in Japan that left him with an injured leg.

Glock in frame at Manor, says manager

Timo Glock’s manager has revealed that the new Manor GP team is one of three squads the German driver is talking to over a drive for next season.

Glock had not been expected to extend his Toyota stay into a third year in 2010 even before the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of Formula 1 last week, with strong speculation at the Abu Dhabi season finale suggesting a deal to take the 27-year-old to Renault was imminent.

However, with Renault still to confirm who will partner Robert Kubica in its line-up next year and doubts remaining about its F1 future, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport is reporting that the British-based Manor team has identified Glock as its number one target to lead it in its debut season.

Glock’s manager Hans-Bernd Kamps confirmed to the publication that Manor is one of three options open to them and says he hopes to confirm his driver’s future within the next week.

“We are still in serious negotiations with three teams, and Manor is one of them,” Hans-Bernd Kamps was quoted as saying.

“We are on the finishing straight and expect a decision by early next week.”

Manor, which has successfully competed in Formula 3 in the guise of Manor Motorsport, is expected to soon announce backing from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group for its inaugural F1 campaign.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that the team’s decision over its second seat is likely to be influenced by the amount of personal sponsorship a driver can bring to the team, with Renault’s Brazilian test pilot Lucas di Grassi understood to be in the frame

Glock now likely to leave Toyota

Timo Glock has admitted it is now likely he will leave Toyota at the end of this season, with the German's future now set to be either with Renault or the new Manor outfit.

Although AUTOSPORT understands that Toyota has made him a firm offer for next season, sources suggest that Glock is keener to follow a new path in his career.

He is close to a deal to partner Robert Kubica at Renault, but it is also believed that he has not totally ruled out an option he has at the soon-to-be Virgin-backed Manor team.

Speaking in the Abu Dhabi paddock, Glock said he had no doubts that he would be racing in F1 next year - even though he is adamant nothing is signed for 2010 year.

"100 percent," he said, when asked by AUTOSPORT about how he rated his chances of competing in F1 next year. "We have, let's say, a good conversation with the teams. I am quite positive on that."

He added: "There are a lot of rumours going on at the moment, and we have a couple of good possibilities. And there could be maybe a surprise in the next one or two weeks, where nobody has been thinking in that direction. We will see... The possibilities are there and we just have to sort it out now."

Speaking about whether Toyota remained a possibility for him, Glock hesitated before saying: "It could be, but the chance is a bit lower I would say."

Glock said there were many factors for him to consider – and made it clear he would not rule out the gamble of going with a new team, rather than an established outfit like Renault.

"Everybody says that the new teams are not interesting, but next year everything is possible," he said. "With the new rules, 150-160kg on board, it will be different. When you see the rule changes this year, and the ups and downs during the season, even a smaller team like Force India had the chance to come up to the top five.

"Brawn GP won the championship and Red Bull – there is no real constructor at the moment fighting for the championship. Sure, McLaren-Mercedes-Benz is really, really strong again at the moment, but the point is that it is more equal.

"I think you have to look in every direction because nobody knows what is going on next year. That makes it interesting and you can make the right decision, or you can make the wrong decision.

"It doesn't matter where you go, you never know what is going on next year. Sure the strong teams like McLaren and Ferrari, they will be on the top and fighting at the top, but you have to be open for everything."

Glock to miss final race of the season

Timo Glock will miss the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, his Toyota team confirmed on Tuesday, and will again be replaced by Kamui Kobayashi.

The German driver has been forced to miss the last two races in Japan and Brazil after he cracked a vertebra in an accident during qualifying at Suzuka.

Although Toyota was hopeful Glock would be fit to compete in the final race of the season, the Japanese squad said on Tuesday that it did not want to take risks and so Kobayashi will race again.

"We feel genuinely sorry for Timo that his season, which has included two impressive podium finishes, is ending in this way," said team president John Howett.

"Having discussed the medical advice with Timo and his management, the team has decided to take no risk and to put Kamui in the car. Kamui performed well in Brazil in difficult circumstances so we are happy to ask him to once again deputise."

Twenty-three year-old Kobayashi had a promising debut at Interlagos, finishing in 11th position.

Toyota to decide on Glock on Tuesday

Toyota will wait until Tuesday before deciding whether or not Timo Glock will return to the cockpit for this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The German was forced to miss the race in Brazil as the result of a fractured vertebra he suffered in his Japanese Grand Prix qualifying accident. He was replaced at Interlagos by Kamui Kobayashi.

Although initial medical reports indicated Glock would not be fit in time for the final race of the season, the team is still hopeful that he will have made enough of a recovery to be back in action.

If Glock is not fit, then Kobayashi will almost certainly race again - having impressed the team with his pace throughout the Brazil weekend.