Glock confirmed by Virgin until 2014
The German driver places high hopes on the new direction taken by the team in recent weeks.
Last week, Graeme Lowdon, president of Virgin Racing, stated that he hoped to retain his driver duo for the next season. While the future of Jérôme D’Ambrosio is not yet decided, it is now confirmed that Timo Glock will remain with Marussia Virgin Racing until 2014.
The 29-year-old driver had taken refuge in the small English team last season after finding himself without a seat following Toyota’s departure. After a difficult first year, the German was hoping for progress in 2011. Unfortunately, the MRV02 did not prove to be more competitive than its predecessor, which irritated Glock, who complained openly about the situation, particularly in Turkey.
But recently, things have been moving over at Virgin, as the team has parted ways with Nick Wirth and signed a technical partnership agreement with McLaren-Mercedes. There is no doubt that these significant changes heavily influenced Timo Glock’s decision when signing the extension of his contract.
« I am very happy to confirm that Marussia Virgin Racing will be my home for the next two years of my F1 career. I am especially pleased to be able to announce this for my home Grand Prix today, which is the place where my career started, » declares the German driver.
« The last 18 months have been tough, even if it was expected. Now that we have gone through tough times together, I can’t wait to be with the team when we start having good times. And I know they will come, » adds Glock.
« We are delighted to have reached a new long-term agreement with Timo, which represents another significant step in our plans for Marussia Virgin Racing, » emphasizes Andy Webb, the team’s CEO. « Timo’s contribution to the team over the past 18 months has been invaluable, and he has certainly lived up to his commitment to help build the team. »
Now it remains to renew Jérôme D’Ambrosio for next season. The team has expressed satisfaction with the work done by the Belgian driver. Discussions are taking place between the team and Gravity Management, which manages D’Ambrosio’s career. Perhaps an announcement at the end of August during the Belgian Grand Prix?
