Jordan third driver Timo Glock had his first taste of Grand Prix racing in Montreal, filling in at short notice for Giorgio Pantano who was unable to compete.

Glock, a former Euro Formula 3 competitor, is Jordan Ford’s third driver this season. His duty is to drive the spare car during the two, one-hour practice sessions held on the Friday of the Grands Prix. “Obviously, jumping straight from F3 to F1 was not the easiest way to get into F1 but Kimi Raikkonen proved it was possible to move up from Formula Renault to F1,” said the 22 year-old German.

Glock was selected after having completed a successful test in Spain before the start of the season. “My first test was in Barcelona which is not easy because it is physically demanding. I experienced some problems after 40 or 50 laps and I crashed. It was not the best way to start in F1… The team did a fantastic job, quickly fixing the car. I drove again for half an hour later in the afternoon. It was a good thing to return in action right after the crash. Things went well after that, and I was 7/10ths of a second faster than I was in the morning, I was also faster in the corner where I had crashed. Maybe that impressed the team because they gave me a second chance two days later. On that second test, I was just 4/10ths slower than Nick (Heidfeld) in the same car and with the same tyres. That created the opportunity to do the Friday tests at the Grands Prix.”

Timo, who tested a ChampCar in the U.S. in December 2003, is convinced that having short-circuited the lower formulae was the right thing to do. “This is probably a better way to graduate to Formula 1. There are not that many competitors in F3000 this season and this is the last year for that category. As a third driver in F1, you get to drive for two hours on the Fridays. If you look at Fernando Alonso, he was a test driver for Renault before he landed a regular drive. It is a good way to learn slowly about Formula 1.”

The young German – who is supported by the Deutsche Post’s “Speed Academy” – is proud to help the team. Every Friday, Glock has a full test programme to accomplish. “The two practice sessions are almost identical,” he explained. “Things are a little bit difficult for me because there are numerous tracks I don’t know. I have five or six laps to learn the track and then we begin with the tyre programme. I compare the two tyres by running series of three, four or five fast laps. Then, we do two longer runs with both types of tyres. If there is some time left, I do some qualifying laps. I also evaluate brake ducts, car parts, different start programmes and electronic systems. It was a little overwhelming at first with so many engineers asking me questions about traction control, differential settings, aero set-up and more! Things became more fun after two races. In F3, I only worked with two engineers. Here in F1, there are about 45 people working in the garage.”

Glock finally started his first F1 race in Montreal. Despite his lack of experience and not knowing the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, Glock drove a stunning race, finishing ahead of his teammate, claiming 7th place and scoring two championship points. Brilliant!