In only his second Grand Prix weekend for the Minardi F1 Team, Dutch driver Robert Doornbos qualified in 19th position for this afternoon’s 70-lap Hungarian Grand Prix.  At the 4.381 kilometer long Hungaroring, Doornbos was forced to settle for a best time of 1:25.484, after he misjudged himself while braking for the first corner.

As air and track temperatures rose, Doornbos saw his chance to improve laptimes in both the third and fourth free practice sessions. After having appropriated P17 (1:25.691) in the opening session of the day, Minardi’s new recruit improved his time by more than two seconds (1:23.358) in the fourth outing.

Not only did both Minardi drivers manage to beat their Jordan Grand Prix colleagues once again, they also seemed to be able to catch both of the Sauber drivers for the first time this year!

However, during qualifying Doornbos lost the opportunity to turn this into a good grid position as the 23-year old hit the brakes too late in the first corner. Although he was able to gain some time in the midsection of the twisty circuit, the initial loss could not be compensated.

‘It is a shame I was a little overenthusiastic in the first and last intermediate,” Robert explained. “We only drove on used tyres this morning to safe rubber for tomorrows race so I had to get used to a new set of tyres. The Bridgestone’s are working well here and are pace is great too. I am looking forward to tomorrow!”