Glowplug relay

Need some accurate answers here to the question of how the glowplug relay works.
98DHSE Auto
When starting from stone cold turn the ignition to position 2 and wait utility the glowplug preheat light goes out , at this point you would normally start the car ,ideally instantly or within 3-5 seconds.
Let's go back to the preheat light going OUT on the dash, what state is the glowplug relay in? Has it turned on or off? Is the preheat light on the dash on a standard timer or is it actually linked to the relay?

I have had the experience in the past where some people have said " give it 2 or 3 light ups of the glowplugs and it will start" surly if the glowplugs were getting to temp then this would be mean the preheat light should stay on until enough heat has been delivered to the plugs?
If like me you also notice tiny differences on the starting of your car then I do start to question why.
Do relays degrade slowly of are they more fuse like behaviour?

I would presume that the light comes on when the relay switches the plugs on, which are on a timer, if you have to heat 2 or 3 times I'd say the glow plugs are not great

The glowplug relay is a timer relay and does three things. It puts power to the glowplugs. It activates the fuel pump to prime the system. It illuminates the glow lamp on indicator on the dash whilst it is live. Plugs should be on for around 7 seconds. When the lamp goes out the key is turned to start position to engage starter motor. If the relay is not staying on long enough the plugs will not get hot enough to start and you may need a few applications. This does not mean that plugs are duff just that they are not being heated for long enough. However if you do have some duff plugs they will add to the problem. You need at least three sequencially firing cylinders with good plugs to get a start most of the time.