Earlier this week we mentioned a statement from Virgin Racing’s Timo Glock concerning his future. It seems that perhaps Glock has re-thought his statement and redouble his efforts to assure his boss, Virgin Racing, that he is indeed committed to their future and success.
This tells me one thing, the Renault seat must be taken or not an option for Glock as he stated he was keeping his eyes open. We discussed this on podcast #171 as well. What is the best move for Timo Glock? Virgin Racing’s rise to the top will not happen over night and Glock’s career has a limited shelf life if he wants a shot at the title.
Nevertheless, Glock has released a statement on his website which Virgin Racing has translated:
“Our debut season at Virgin Racing has been a big challenge but I always knew this would be the case when I joined the team. The start of the year in particular was quite difficult but since then we have really started to turn things around and since the middle of the season we have made very good progress with the development of the car.
“We can’t deny there have been some frustrations along the way. It hasn’t always been a straightforward run up to the race and we have made things harder for ourselves sometimes. But in terms of the big picture, for the last three or four races we have brought new developments to the car at every race, which have translated immediately from the simulator to the track and that has been very encouraging to see. Our digital approach means that we can also continue with the development of this year’s car right up until the end of the season, as well as working on next year’s car.
“I am fully behind Virgin Racing and very motivated because of the progress we have made so far and that we can continue to make in the last seven races of the season. I have always said that I want to be in a team and a car that is continually pushing forward. If development stopped or we didn’t keep moving forward then like any driver I would become frustrated, but so far this is not the case. We are improving all the time now, but there are also bigger steps we have to take in the future.
“I have a long-term contract with Virgin Racing and I’m fully committed to the team moving forward. We have what it takes to fight to continue to achieve our objectives for this season and in the future.â€
I can’t argue with his desire to be in a team that is moving forward and while Virgin Racing has had its challenges this year, I think they’re doing a terrific job of staying the course, learning the ropes and getting their sea legs under them. F1 is tough…very tough. Virgin has survived the initial assault on their program and survived. The same is rumored to be tenuous for HRT.
If I’m honest, I think the Renault move would have been a misfit for Glock. It is Robert Kubica’s team and anyone going there will be the second driver for Renault. A tough situation. Virgin has a need for a veteran like Glock and hopefully we’ll see the team make great strides in 2011. At least that’s what it will take to keep Glock there for the long-term.
