Timo Glock has described the aftermath of the 2008 season finale in Brazil as the hardest off-track moment of his short Formula One career.

Following the Interlagos race, the Toyota driver was accused of having deliberately slowed on the last lap in order to gift Lewis Hamilton the world title.

"When I saw everyone's reaction it was very tough and difficult to understand," he admitted to Spain's Onda Cero radio. "Even the next two weeks were really hard."

The German said he and his engineers, including his team-mate Jarno Trulli, took a risk by not using wet tyres in the closing stages of the Grand Prix.

"It was like driving on ice," Glock explained, "but still it was the right decision because it meant I finished one position higher than if I had changed tyres. I did my own race and had no interest in getting involved in the fight for the title.
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"Afterwards when all the journalists were coming up to me I began to wonder if Lewis going past me meant he was world champion."

"But during the race I had no idea of the position I was in, let alone what Hamilton and Felipe Massa were doing," the 26-year-old insisted.

He said the post-race reaction and conspiracy theories were 'a little strange' but simply a price of being involved in a popular global sport.

"I believe in Formula One and so you have to live with these things," Glock said.

Source: GMM
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