The first day of a five-day Minardi test got under way today at the Autodromo Santamonica in Misano. One of the two Minardi Cosworth PS04B chassis available was driven initially by Tiago Monteiro, who then handed over to Patrick Friesacher, while the other was allocated to Israeli driver, Chanock Nissany.

Monteiro's task was to work on chassis set-up, while Friesacher and Nissany, who were both having their first experience of an F1 car, spent much of their allocated time on the opening day acclimatising to the levels of performance and handling available. Nissany is scheduled to continue testing on Tuesday, and will be joined by young Australians, Will Power and Will Davison, fulfilling a promise made to both men by Minardi Team Principal, Paul Stoddart, at this year's Australian Grand Prix.

Patrick Friesacher: "To test a Formula One car is a great experience, and I have to thank the Minardi team and Paul Stoddart for this opportunity. I was just amazed at the speed and the braking of the car when I went out on my first lap, but then, like all race cars, you start to get used to the performance. I think I had a good day and I hope the team is pleased with the job I did."

Tiago Monteiro: "It was a great pleasure to be back in a Formula One car again, and I have to thank Paul Stoddart, Gian Carlo Minardi and the whole team for the opportunity they have given me today. I had never been to Misano before, so I spent the first couple of laps this morning just familiarising myself with the circuit. Initially, the conditions were very tricky, as the track surface was extremely dirty. The situation gradually improved, however, so we got on with testing several items and accumulating some useful information. I was also able to set the car up for the other drivers, who don't have any F1 experience. I'm very pleased to have been back with the Minardi team again, and now we have to work for the future. The next few days will be very important."

Chanock Nissany: "At the beginning of the test, the track was not in great condition, but the car was behaving well despite this. The surface and the grip improved in the afternoon and the car had a good set-up, which allowed me to get a clear feel for the performance. With the experience I have accumulated today, I hope to improve further tomorrow."

Massimo Rivola, Team Manager: "The plan today was to keep set-up changes to a minimum and allow the drivers – particularly Patrick and Chanock – to get some experience driving a Formula One car in race configuration. On that basis, I think we have had a very good day, and I want to thank all the drivers for their efforts. Tiago undoubtedly had the toughest job, as he went out first on a cold and dirty track. As we have seen before, though, he approached the situation with great maturity, by starting carefully and then steadily reducing his lap times as he worked on finding a good chassis set-up. Chanock lost about 45 minutes this morning, while a potential problem with his car was checked out, but he went on to do a very solid job, especially considering he has only been racing for two years. Patrick was particularly impressive, starting off with laps of 1 min 15 secs and then building up speed quickly. Once he got to the limit, he put in some consistently fast laps. Finally, a special word of thanks to our partner, Bridgestone – Minardi is the only F1 team testing here at Misano, and they are again supporting us brilliantly with tyres and technical advice."

Today's Times

Name	Team	T	Laps	Time	Gap
Friesacher	Minardi	B	42	1:11.150	127.645 mph
Monteiro	Minardi	B	20	1:13.240	2.090
Nissany	Minardi	B	41	1:14.780	3.630

Best Times To Date

Date	Driver	Team	T	Time	Gap
22-Nov	Friesacher	Minardi	B	1:11.150	127.645 mph
22-Nov	Monteiro	Minardi	B	1:13.240	2.090
22-Nov	Nissany	Minardi	B	1:14.780	3.630