(Motorsport-Total.com) – Would this car have made Timo Glock a Grand Prix winner? The Toyota TF110 planned for the 2010 season remains one of the most exciting Formula 1 cars to this day, even though the car never participated in a race – or rather precisely because of that.
Read more Explained: What does a Formula 1 team principal actually do?
Because the car was already far advanced in its development when Toyota decided in November 2009 to end its Formula 1 commitment after eight years and without a Grand Prix win with immediate effect. For financial reasons, the step was understandable at the time, but from a sporting point of view, it was probably a mistake.
Glock, who was Toyota’s factory driver in Formula 1 at the time, recalls in the podcast Starting Grid: “I spent a lot, a lot of time in the simulator. And then of course it was really a shame that the car never got to drive.”
Because the TF110 probably had (at least) the potential for race wins. Glock reveals: “I also met one or the other engineer who left Toyota, for example to Ferrari, more often again and was in exchange.”
“And they all said, when they left Toyota […], the Toyota was, in terms of aero points, that is downforce, a good step ahead of Ferrari,” says Glock, who admits it “of course hurts a bit” never to have driven the car.
It is especially bitter because Ferrari celebrated a one-two finish with the F10 mentioned by Glock at the 2010 season opener in Bahrain. At the end of the year, Fernando Alonso was runner-up in that car, just four points behind Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull.
Would 2010 have been the breakthrough for Glock?
Consequently, the question arises what would have been possible with the TF110 – also for Glock personally, who would have entered his third season with Toyota in 2010. “In 2008, my part in development was zero,” explains the 44-year-old, who achieved a podium in his first season with the Japanese.
Read more Schumacher warning: Carlos Sainz must «urgently leave» Williams
According to Glock, “more input from [teammate] Jarno Trulli was required” for the 2009 car because he had significantly more experience. For 2010, however, “I was a bit more involved in certain topics,” he recalls.
In 2009, Glock had two more podiums, but instead of possibly fighting for wins in the TF110 in 2010, his Formula 1 career stalled due to Toyota’s exit and he suddenly had no cockpit at all for 2010.
Crashing failure: These Formula 1 mega projects were never successful
“That was also a difficult time, which then put me in the position to go to a small team and to hang up my Formula 1 career from a sporting point of view for the time being,” says Glock, who eventually moved to Formula 1 newcomer Virgin.
The German started a total of three years for the racing team and its successor Marussia. He never scored a point with inferior material, and after the 2012 season, his Formula 1 career ended without ever having the chance to drive a top car again.
“In the end, you can’t change it,” says Glock, emphasizing that it doesn’t help much to think about the past. “Still, I would have liked to have driven the car,” he adds with a grin.
Read more Red Bull: Replaces Liam Lawson with Isack Hadjar in Zandvoort?