Timo Glock appeared to have disappeared off the Formula 1 radar but, in 2008, he's back with a venegance.
Prior to 2008 Timo Glock had started just four Formula 1 races, all of them for the now defunct Jordan team. The car was far from competitive yet Glock managed to score two points on his debut in Canada, albeit helped by the disqualification of other cars. At the end of that 2004 season Glock disappeared from Formula 1 but his undeniable talent has ensured a return to the top flight with Toyota.
Glock was born in Lindenfels, Germany, on March 18th, 1982. He spent a brief spell in karting before progressing to the BMW ADAC Junior Cup in 2000, winning the series. His success continued the following year in Formula BMW ADAC as he scored three wins on his way to the title.
In 2002 a season in German Formula 3 yielded three poles, two wins, third in the championship and Rookie of the Year honours. Glock progressed to the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2003 where he again won three races, finishing fifth in the title chase.
Glock signed with the Jordan team in 2004, becoming a Formula 1 test driver. A contract dispute between Jordan and their race driver Giorgio Pantano led to Glock replacing him for the Canadian Grand Prix. He finished 11th but, later, four cars in front of him were disqualified, giving Glock two World Championship points on his debut. He also drove in the final three Grands Prix of the season but could not get the uncompetitive Jordan into the points again.
Unable to land a Formula 1 race seat for 2005, Glock moved to the American Champcar World Series. A best result of second in Montreal helped him to eighth in the championship and the Rookie of the Year award.
Glock returned to Europe in 2006 to compete in the second season of GP2. The first part of the season was spent driving for the BCN Competicion team but results were not forthcoming. A move to the iSport team brought improvement and he finished the season fourth overall. Glock had also attracted the attention of the BMW Sauber Formula 1 team and he was signed as a test driver for 2007.
Glock also competed in GP2 during 2007, again for iSport. Confirming his ability he scored five wins and won the championship. Toyota were impressed enough to offer him a Formula 1 race seat for 2008. For 2008 Glock is partnered with the experienced Jarno Trulli at Toyota. The car is a definite improvement over previous models and both drivers will be expecting to score points regularly.
