Carried in part by the wave of support for German drivers created by the success of Schumacher brothers, Glock enjoyed a rapid rise through the junior ranks, only to see his F1 ambitions stall just after he made he grade. To his credit, Timo seized the opportunities available elsewhere to rebuild his career and thoroughly deserve a second chance in the big time.
Like any aspiring grand prix driver, Glock began his racing career in karts, although he didn't start until the age of 15, some seven or eight years after many of his counterparts. However, he proved capable enough, without actually winning anything major, to consider a move into cars after only two seasons.
With a pretty defined motorsport ladder in his homeland, Glock took his first steps in the Formula BMW Junior Cup, winning the 2000 title and setting himself up for the 'senior' championship the following year. With a season of experience – and confidence – under his belt, the German duly clinched the ADAC title for Team Mamerow at the first time of asking, leaving himself with the option of Formula Renault or Formula Three for 2002.
Opting for the latter, he joined Opel Team KMS to contest the German championship, and again adapted well, finishing third overall as best-placed rookie driver. That introduction to F3 led to an invitation to contest the inaugural Euroseries in 2003, again with KMS. Up against a strong international field, including eventual winner Ryan Briscoe and runner-up Christian Klien, Glock finally broke through as an F3 driver, winning three races and finishing fifth overall.
While that performance in itself didn't cause a rush of interest from Formula One teams, access to German sponsorship was attractive and, with the support of Deutsche Post's Speed Academy, he signed up as official test and reserve driver for the Jordan team in 2004. While his deal restricted other racing activities, Glock didn't have to wait long to get back into the action, swapping his Friday practice role for the second race seat alongside Nick Heidfeld when sponsorship difficulties kept Giorgio Pantano out of the Canadian Grand Prix. Against the odds, and to Pantano's undoubted frustration, Glock managed to bring the otherwise poor EJ14 home in seventh place to earn a couple of points on debut.
The German returned to testing duties from the next race, as Pantano ironed out his money problems, but was called back into the fray when the lacklustre Italian was finally dropped ahead of the final three races of the year – in China, Japan and Brazil. No further points were forthcoming, however, leaving Glock 19th in the championship with just the precious two he had scored in Montreal.
Naturally, he hoped that his 2004 performances would stand him in good stead for the 2005 season but, despite some interest from Jordan, Glock missed out when the team was taken over by Russian investors. Thwarted, he turned his attentions to the US-based Champ Car series where, after a series of promising tests, he ousted Alex Tagliani from what had appeared a safe seat at Rocketsports Racing.
The German certainly made his mark in his debut season during which he experienced something of a wild ride in the Rocketsports machine. His commitment was total, and on occasion led to on-track indiscretions that needed to be eliminated from his driving, but his feisty performances won him the ‘Rookie of The Year’ title and although a victory just eluded him, Glock finished a creditable eighth in the final points standings.
However having built a strong reputation in the Champ Car Timo decided against a sophomore year and is look for return to the unfinished business of Formula 1 via the supporting GP2 Series in 2006. Although the year was largely dominated by the performances of Lewis Hamilton and Nelson Angelo Piquet, Glock did a great job in re-establishing his credentials. A splendid racer’s win in at Hockenheim was his only victory and a wrist injury hampered his chances of finishing higher than fourth in the final standings.
For 2007 the German was well placed for a serious GP2 Championship bid and he was looking every inch the champion until an embarrassing start line collision with Andrea Zuber at Magny Cours dented his reputation somewhat. In the event, four further wins cemented his championship and he had already secured a foothold in Formula 1 by joining the BMW Sauber squad to share testing duties with Sebastian Vettel.
With the disappointing Ralf Schumacher at the end of his three-year contract, Toyota decided the Glock was just the man to pair with the experienced Jarno Trulli. The German should be able to shine, as the Japanese car giant seems to have overcome their generally lacklustre showings over the past couple of seasons and produced a much more competitive car for 2008.
