Team Season Review: Virgin

Virgin were last again after six mechanical retirements in 2011.

Drivers: Timo Glock, Jerome D'Ambrosio
Best Finish: 14th (Australia, Canada)
Best Qualifying Result: 21st (Turkey, Spain, Canada, India, Abu Dhabi, Brazil)
Points: 0
Constructor's Championship: 12th
GRADE: F

Virgin Racing's second Formula One season was just as disappointing as the first, never getting anywhere near the points, and finishing twelfth and last in the Constructor's Championship. Their reliability let them down in their battle with HRT for eleventh, as they suffered six mechanical retirements. Their rookie driver, the Belgian Jerome D'Ambrosio performed well, often matching and sometimes beating more experienced and more respected team mate Timo Glock. Furthermore, D'Ambrosio recorded the teams two best results, two fourteenth places in Australia and Canada. A disappointing season for Virgin concluded with them announcing they would be changing their name to Marussia in 2012, and replacing Jerome D'ambrosio with French GP2 driver Charles Pic next season.


TIMO GLOCK
Best Finish: 15th (Turkey, Italy)
Points: 0
Driver's Championship: 25th
GRADE: D+


Glock at Singapore



Driving for Virgin for the second year in a row, Glock announced at the German Grand Prix that he had signed a new deal at Virgin, in an attepmt to help the team move up the grid. His first classified finish of 2011 came in the Malaysia Grand Prix, where he took a 16th place. A nineteenth at Spain was followed up with a mechanical retirement at Monaco, triggering a safety car. Glock delivered his best 2011 result in the next race, his 15th place at Canada occurring in a race which saw both Virgin and Hispania perform well. The German then finished six races in a row in a good patch for Glock, with the highlights being a 16^th at Great Britain, and a 15^th at Monza. He crashed out of the Singapore race, before been beaten by D’Ambrosio in the next three.

JEROME D'AMBROSIO
Best Finish: 14th (Australia, Canada)
Points: 0
Driver's Championship: 24th
GRADE: D

D'Ambrosio in action at Spa

D’Ambrosio finished in an impressive 14th at his first race in Australia after qualifying 22nd, just before D'Ambrosio took a string of 20th places at China,Turkey and Spain. The Belgian driver got another 14th at the rain affected Canada, before 17th, 18th, 19th and 18th at Britain, Germany, Hungary and Belgium, his home race.  Towards the end of the season, D’Ambrosio started to beat Timo Glock, and had a good debut season. However, after the Brazilian Grand Prix, it was announced he was being replaced by Charles Pic in 2012.

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