Question: Virgin boss Richard Branson is known for keeping a close eye on the enterprises that carry his brand. Have you or the team had any feedback from him about the progress of development?
Timo Glock: I am sure the team management is keeping him updated, but since the launch I haven’t spoken to him about what is going on. From what I hear he is quite proud that the car is on track. He is into new technologies, so the challenge of designing a car solely with CFD was obviously something he could not resist. When you are a pioneer you have to face setbacks at times. We had some issues in Jerez, but in Barcelona it has looked promising, even though we are five seconds off the pace at the moment.
Question: Have you become more or less confident since driving the VR-01?
Timo Glock: Well, when we had our first shakedown in the UK and I drove out of the pits for the first time, it was funny kind of feeling. You think that it hasn’t actually had any wind blowing over it yet and you reflect on whether it is really working the way they told you it would. After the first lap, all those thoughts were gone. It felt like a normal F1 car. That’s amazing. Every single element on the car - cooling the engine, cooling the gearbox, even cooling hydraulics - everything was done with CFD.
Question: Knowing your pace is so far off those at the front, how are you feeling ahead of the Bahrain race?
Timo Glock: Being realistic I know that Saturday afternoon will be short for me. I am quite sure. We are realistic and not dreaming about getting into Q2 or Q3. We will be off the pace, but I don’t have any problem with that fact, as I knew when I signed what to expect in the first year. We have to work through it.
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