Toyota’s Timo Glock will miss next weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix due to a cracked vertebra sustained in the previous Formula One race in Japan, the team announced Sunday.
Glock will be replaced by Toyota’s reserve driver Kamui Kobayashi at Interlagos the penultimate race of the 2009 season.
Glock crashed heavily in qualifying in Japan and missed the race, with Toyota only fielding one car at Suzuka.
While the German driver said at the time that it was stitches in a cut left calf that would prevent him driving in the Japanese Grand Prix, the team said subsequent scans had revealed the back injury.
“Everyone in the team is very disappointed and feels for Timo,” Toyota team principal John Howett said.
“Based on the initial diagnosis, we fully expected Timo to return in Brazil but unfortunately a different injury has been revealed which prevents that.”
Howett said it was uncertain if Glock would be fit for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Nov. 1.
“He will remain in Germany to recover and we hope he can recuperate in time for Abu Dhabi, although at this stage the situation is not clear.”
Kobayashi had driven in Friday practice in Japan the day before Glock’s qualifying crash when the team said the German was suffering from a heavy cold.
Although Glock equaled his career best by finishing second at the Singapore Grand Prix, which preceded Japan, the potentially season-ending injury had come at a bad time because Toyota has not picked up the 2010 option on his contract and had told him he can negotiate with other teams.
