Starting in 2010, Timo Glock will be pursuing his Formula One career with new team Manor Grand Prix, an opportunity he describes as a “fantastic challenge”. Timo is at the beginning of a new chapter in his motor racing career with the British team whose experience has been extremely successful in various junior series in recent years being, responsible for developing great talents such as Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton in their early careers.

“It might seem like a brave step,” said Glock, explaining his decision to join Manor. “But there are many good reasons to join this team. For me as a driver, for example, it was important that I was assured I would be involved in the development of the team and the car.”

The  German racer will soon start sharing his extensive experience with the team so it can be used in the development of the Formula 1 car. 

“The car is being designed by Nick Wirth. That was another argument in the team’s favour as far as I was concerned,” added Glock.  “Nick Wirth has a lot of race car design experience and a very good reputation. You only need to look at the Acura ARX-02a to see what he and his team can do. That prototype was immediately successful in the American Le Mans Series despite not spending a single hour in a wind tunnel. It is a sensational car!"

Many Formula 1 fans will remember Wirth as a leading aerodynamics engineer at the Benetton team, and he later designed a complete car for the first time with Simtek. The Brit learned his trade while working alongside star designer Adrian Newey at March and Leyton House.

“When Nick and his colleagues John Booth and Graeme Lowdon talked to me, we were on the same wavelength straight away. They really wanted to have me on board to help develop the car,” said a delighted Glock. “With a year left on the Toyota contract, we originally had other plans and were aiming to really compete for the world championship with the team. Now, for obvious reasons, that is not going to happen. Ahead of me now is a great challenge. And I’m really looking forward to it!”

It is not only the technical side of things that has convinced Timo to join Manor.

“The personal side is also extremely important to me. The atmosphere in a private British team like this is always terrific. I saw that during my time with iSport International in GP2. There we worked very closely together to achieve shared success. Manor is starting out with a similar working style which is why I have actively decided to join this team. We will all be pulling in the same direction and encouraging each other in order to drive the programme forward.”

Timo Glock