Glock: “On another planet”

Timo Glock, after a difficult end to the 2009 season (accident in Japan, withdrawal of Toyota), moves forward with Virgin Racing. However, after the splendor of the Toyota era, the German joined a much more modest team which made its debut in Formula 1. " When you drive for Toyota and you visit this massive factory near Cologne, and then you go to a small British team with much smaller facilities, it's like being on another planet “, he confides to F1.com.

Despite everything, the German pilot is not anxious about changing worlds. “ It?s very positive. It’s a life-saving return to basics. I feel like I have a lot more freedom and everything is less complicated. Things turned out for the better. I feel very comfortable, especially after the launch, very relaxed. »

And when we told him that this launch was more akin to that of a rock group, Glock was not surprised. “ That?s what I thought myself. What we saw that day was in the philosophy of Virgin. I think the impact will be very refreshing on the paddock. Virgin is Rock and Roll and Richard Branson (president of Virgin) wants to cultivate that. »

Happy to have joined Virgin, Timo Glock says he never doubted his future in F1, despite Toyota's withdrawal. “ I realized very early on that there was no future for me at Toyota. I quickly looked for an alternative and my instinct did not let me down. We started negotiating with Virgin after the Japanese Grand Prix. When, shortly after the race, I was invited to visit the factory, it became clear to me that their F1 project was very serious. »

And despite relatively modest means, in comparison with Toyota, Timo Glock does not fear living a season in anonymity. “ I think success can be achieved with a much smaller budget and fewer staff than we currently see. I don't think you need 600 employees to have a competitive F1 team. It is also easier to increase a budget from 40 to 70 million pounds than to reduce it from 300 to 150 then 100 million. »