F1 star who destroyed car and feared for his career is finally told 'it wasn’t your fault'

Former F1 driver Timo Glock has finally been told by Eddie Jordan that an incident in which he crashed in Barcelona was not actually his fault.

Glock, who was signed as Jordan Grand Prix's test driver for the 2004 Formula One season, has recalled a story where he crashed in a practice race in Barcelona that same year. However, speaking on Eddie Jordan's Formula for Success podcast, the former F1 boss has claimed the incident was not entirely Glock's fault.

The German recalled the event, detailing how bad the smash was and how he thought he had blown his chance of racing in the sport for good. "We had the test in Barcelona and I jumped out from an F3 car into a Formula One car which then ended really badly for me because I destroyed the car at the end of the day," Glock said.

"In Barcelona we had the last two quick corners, at that point I just destroyed the car on the last corner. I ended up on the outside curb, lost the rear end and smashed it into the barrier and I thought 'okay that was a short chance of Formula One."

However, Jordan then interjected to admit some of the blame should rest on his shoulders for the scary incident. He said that as a young driver, with Glock being just 21 at the time of the crash, he should have taken that into account, as well as the difficulty of the track he was racing on.

"I'd say fatigue was the problem and I'd say, truthfully now, is as much my fault as his fault for crashing because we should have anticipated that here was a young driver, very new to Formula One, in a track like Barcelona," Jordan said.

Jordan conceded that Glock was performing at a high level but the expectation on the beginner was a lot, adding: "Yes he's doing really, really quick times, and good times, and we were very impressed but the pressure, physically, on him was immense."

He also added that the shift in design of the cars over the years has meant that the lightweight nature of the car Glock was steering could also have had an impact on him crashing, Jordan said: "That's what we're always talking about.

"It's not quite the same now because the cars are so much heavier, so when you have an agile car where there's so much power to play, it's a very different story."

Glock got the nod to join Jordan in Formula One after impressing in Formula Three, having competed in the Euroseries that saw him win three races and gain three other podium finishes. Following that, Glock was signed as Jordan Grand Prix's test driver for the 2004 season and made his debut at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Barcelona incident hasn't been the only time Glock has in the headlines. In the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, he was seventh with a few laps to go when it began to rain heavily. Glock then chose to remain on the track with dry-weather tyres, while most of the other drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, opted to change.

The decision ultimately meant Glock raced up the order but on the final lap, he felt his tires struggling and was passed by Hamilton - who won his first driver's championship by the barest of margins as a result. The result ended up in Glock receiving death threats, with some fans accusing him of cheating.