As the pack jostled for position the unfancied Timo Glock acted like a cork in a bottle, his Virgin Racing team no doubt rubbing their hands together with glee at the television time. For eight laps of the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore he absorbed the pressure from a train of faster cars before eventually ceding his spot.

It was artificial of course, a by-product of Glock staying out on circuit during an early safety car period while those ahead made their way to the pits for fresh rubber. For a while he ran as high as tenth, though once Adrian Sutil elbowed his way by the spell under which the gaggle had been held was broken. He quickly fell through the field before his ultimate retirement by mid distance, but for just a moment Glock, who'd endured a difficult season, was the star of the race.

"That was one of the highlights," he tells me with a smile. "Singapore was great, good fun to see all these cars which were three/four seconds quicker than me, and they just couldn't get around."

In the wet conditions in Korea a few weeks later his race looked even better, the German revelling in the atrociously wet conditions to be on the fringes of the top ten. "That's where you can make a difference as a driver," he explains. "I just managed to stay on track and was in a good position… then Buemi crashed in to me and took me out of the race."

Listening to Glock speak of the highlights of his 2010 provides an interesting insight to his character. Throughout his career the German has been in competitive machinery, last season was the first time he'd ever run at the rear of the field in any category. To see his eyes glaze over as he recalls those laps in Singapore, the gentle smile which flashes across his face, suggests he's lost none of his enthusiasm for the sport despite his ego having taken a hit. 2010 taught him to appreciate the small victories, such as leading a train of faster cars, and putting the uncompetitive Virgin in places it shouldn't be.

Yet Formula One wasn't the initial goal for Glock, who began his racing career at age five in motocross. If things then had gone to plan his career would have taken a significantly different direction, but that, of course, didn't happen. "I had a bit of a crash and broke my leg when I was seven or eight," he reveals sheepishly. "Then my Mum wouldn't allow me to go racing anymore! It took me seven years until I had the chance to jump in a go kart."

After two years in karting, Glock progressed to the Formula BMW Junior Cup, winning the title in his debut season with eleven race wins. The following season he stepped up to the outright Formula BMW championship where he again triumphed. German Formula Three then beckoned where he was again competitive, finishing the 2002 season third with three wins.

The new Formula Three Euroseries in 2003 proved a tougher task. Battling the likes of Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Christian Klien saw Glock just fifth at the end of the season, that position bolstered thanks to two late wins at Hockenheim and Magny-Cours. Ultimately Ryan Briscoe, who would graduate to a testing role with the Toyota Formula One team the following season, took the laurels.