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Glock feels Toyota is ready to win

Timo Glock thinks Toyota is now ready to win its first Formula 1 race, as the team heads into this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix buoyed with the work it has done on its TF109

Although Glock has drawn short of predicting a full-scale assault on victory in Melbourne, especially because no one is sure about just how quick Brawn GP is, he is confident his team is on course to take that breakthrough win this season.

"I think the people are really motivated, and they have been since last year - especially the second half," Glock told AUTOSPORT in Melbourne. "From the first test with the new car everybody has been really strong, everybody is up to speed at the moment and everybody really wants that first win for Toyota."

He added: "It would be great to be on the podium or even win the first race - it would be a dream. I just try and do 100 per cent. I want to come out of this weekend with the same feeling that we had over the tests - that we are in a strong position and that we have a good potential to develop the car over the year.

"The dream would be when you can interview me on Sunday night as the race winner of the Australian Grand Prix!"

When asked if the team was feeling pressure to deliver that much-heralded win, Glock said: "For sure this year we want to win for the first time, and we have a good possibility to do that.

"The pressure is on every time in F1. I had it last year too after a bad start, maybe even more than this year, and to deliver the results last year was not easy and now, for my confidence level, it looks quite positive. So the pressure is on, but this is normal in F1."

Although happy with the development of the TF109, Glock thinks testing has not yet provided any firm answers about the pace of most of the teams - although he thinks Brawn GP has the advantage.

"Brawn GP went out in Barcelona and were straight on the pace, and they were quick over a long run as well from what we could see on the lap times. It looks like they are a little bit ahead of the pack slightly, and after that I don't know if we are the second team or if Ferrari are slightly quicker than us. It is all mixed up and it depends as well a little bit on the circuit.

"But it looks quite promising for us this year, and that is positive. We took the development curve, what we had in the second half of last season where we made a lot of progress, we took it over in the winter time and the team did a strong performance to adapt the car to the new rules. It looks quite positive and the team itself looks really strong as well at the moment."

Although focused on delivering as best result as possible this weekend, Toyota could face some off-track politics with the team one of three running a diffuser design that some other teams believe contravenes the regulations.

The team is awaiting developments, with a protest one possible outcome, but Glock says he is not going to waste any time worrying about the matter.

"For me, I cannot really comment on that," he said when asked about the diffuser situation. "I have to be 100 per cent concentrated on my job and the rest is up to a decision made by other people."

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