Marussia technical director Pat Symonds has expressed his confidence that the team will be able to survive in the sport despite the ongoing financial difficulties, which is threatening to bring down the entire team in the near future. Marussia have a total budget of around $ 40 million for the entire season. Due to this low budget, they have failed to keep the likes of Timo Glock. Pay drivers like Timo Glock have to be given salaries, which led to the departure of the German at the start of the season. Instead, the team has brought in drivers who will be able to sponsor the running of the team in return for a place on the grid.
The team are also in danger of not getting the $ 10 million prize money if they fail to finish in the top 10 of the constructors championship. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone recently confirmed that the prize money will be limited only to the top 10 teams unlike the last three seasons when it was extended to all the teams across the grid. As a result, there is a danger of the team going under the radar. F1 already lost one team in the form of HRT.
“The people here are racers. [Team Principal] John [Booth] and [President] Graeme [Lowdon] particularly, they’re in the Frank Williams mould. They’re not going to let this team go. So we will survive and the great thing about us is that we’re small, so if things get tough one day we can pull our horns in a little bit. And if we get more money we’ll use it wisely, because we’re used to not having much money,” said Symonds. It is expected that the team will be looking for sponsors actively in the next few weeks in order to raise funds.
The former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld has said that he is missing the sport very badly. The former Williams and BMW Sauber driver is currently racing at the World Endurance sports car championship in a Le Mans prototype. In a career that spanned 11 years, Heidfeld raced for the likes of Sauber, Jordan, Williams, BMW Sauber, and Renault. Even though he did not have any wins or world championship titles to his name, the German driver finished on the podium on 13 occasions. He also managed to collect 259 points during his career. He has not been involved in the sport since the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 35-year-old made 185 starts for these teams during a glittering career. Even though he is still a racing driver, the former Williams man has admitted that he does miss F1. He has said that F1 is truly the ultimate sport when it comes to motor racing. However, he has admitted that the lack of taking part in F1 has helped him spend more time with his family. According to him, it is the only positive aspect of being away from the sport. Heidfeld was amongst the crop of German drivers who succeeded in the sport. Other German drivers who were incredibly successful are Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
“I miss Formula One incredibly. It is truly the ultimate. I would love to be sitting in a good car. The fact I now has more time to spend with his young family is the only thing that makes me feel better,” said the 35-year-old racing driver in a recent interview given to Heilbronner Stimme. The driver has competed in various forms of racing over the years including touring car racing. His fourth place finish in the 2012 Le Mans season ranks as his best finish ever.
The German driver Timo Glock and his team Marussia have decided to part company with immediate effect. The 30-year-old German driver will not be racing for the team any more. This comes as a surprising decision from both parties involved given that the German has been with the team since they made their debut in the sport back in 2010. The team boss John Booth has said that this decision had to be taken with the commercial implications in mind. Timo Glock was a driver who was earning a salary from the team, but it is now thought that Marussia will be looking forward to getting a driver who can bring in a sponsor.
Booth has said that the current economic climate means that it is highly unviable for the team to be travelling in the same manner. As a result, they have to come to the difficult decision of parting company with Timo Glock despite the German being one of the experienced drivers on the grid. Glock was expected to race alongside Max Chilton in the new season, but he has been left looking for a new race seat for next season. It remains to be seen if the 30-year-old will be able to secure a race seat given the availability of very few right now.
“Tough economic conditions prevail and the commercial landscape is difficult for everyone. Timo is a fantastic driver and he has been a very popular member of the team. Our team was founded on the principle of benefiting from proven experience while also providing opportunities for young emerging talent to progress to the pinnacle of motorsport. Thus far, this philosophy has also been reflected in our commercial model,” said the team boss John Booth. It is expected that Glock will race in the German touring car championship.
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