Collision with Jean-Eric Vergne destroyed Timo Glock’s race

Timo Glock’s hopes of retaining tenth position in the Constructors’ Championship for Marussia were destroyed during the Brazilian Grand Prix, after a collision with the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne upon the restart after the first safety car period. This forced Glock to pit, and saw him plummet to the back of the pack.

As utter mayhem ensued throughout the early stages of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Marussias and Caterhams slowly rose through the order as they opted to remain out on track as the rain continued to fall. This saw the likes of Glock, Kovalainen, Petrov and Pic race competitively within the top ten as the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Felipe Massa all struggled in the treacherous conditions and decided to pit for wet tyres.

Eventually the safety car was deployed as the amount of debris on the track rose due to the numerous collisions throughout the opening few laps, therefore allowing the marshals to clear the track. Upon the restart, the difference in speed between the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne and the Marussia of Timo Glock was so great that the two collided, with Glock being forced to pit after the incident. The German driver was understandably upset, as this practically ended Marussia’s chances of retaining tenth in the Constructors’ Championship.

"There isn’t much we can say really; the result speaks for itself and we were just not lucky today.” Explained a dispirited Timo Glock, “It is a crying shame for everyone associated with the team as we have all worked so hard together to come this far. It’s so sad to lose 10th like this because we were right on it and we had everything lined up to stay ahead of the other guys. Unfortunately, Vergne crashed into the back of my car and destroyed the race for me because it was right at the restart and I had to pit under the green flag. I went straight to the back of the field and worked hard from there, but there was very little we could do.”

Jean-Eric Vergne was very apologetic to Timo Glock after the race, which saw the Frenchman eventually finish 8th and in the points. The rookie has finished in the points four times this season, interestingly finishing each race in 8th position. Vergne coped well in the inclement weather conditions, despite running on dry tyres on a very greasy track surface.

“At the restart after the safety car came in, I was hanging back to get a run on Glock,” said Jean-Eric Vergne. “But as I caught up, those in front were braking hard and I ran into him and I’ve already apologized to him for that. My pace on the slick tyres in the damp conditions was very good and it’s nice to finish the final race of the season in the points.”

Both Timo Glock and Jean-Eric Vergne will be aiming for a much more competitive season in 2013, as they both struggled greatly throughout this past year. Glock was both out-qualified and out-raced by rookie team-mate Charles Pic on numerous occasions, and Jean-Eric Vergne has struggled with the pace of his Toro Rosso. Both will return in 2013, and both will be after improvements from their respective outfits.

Follow me on Twitter - @AndyYoungF1