For the first time this season, the Minardi F1 Team ran a third car during a race weekend, Chanoch Nissany taking the wheel of the Faenza squad's third chassis on the opening day of preparations for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. Nissany, who is the first Israeli driver to participate in a Formula One event, took part in the first of Saturday's two official practice sessions, but missed the second when his car developed a hydraulic problem. Race drivers Christijan Albers and Robert Doornbos got down to their normal Friday technical programmes at the Hungaroring, and although a dirty track surface and an electrical problem with Albers' car meant the morning session was not as productive as it might have been, both drivers made up for lost ground in the afternoon.

Robert Doornbos: The Hungaroring is actually a very nice track to drive, even if there are a lot of turns for a Formula One car. Right from the first lap this morning, the car seemed to go well and we worked some more on chassis balance during the lunch break to suit my driving style. We further improved the set-up, and I think the second session was also good from the beginning. We hope to continue like this for the rest of the weekend.

Christijan Albers: We had a little bit of a bad start this morning when a broken speed sensor cost us quite a lot of time. As a result, we weren't able to cover so many laps. Even so, to do a 1 minute 27.5 second lap on my first proper run this morning was not so bad. In the second practice, we were mostly just playing around with the car, trying a number of different set-up changes, and then, on the last set of tyres, we went for a quick lap. We encountered some traffic, though, and the first lap was gone. Unfortunately, I think this is a track where you have to get your time on the first lap, and although the second lap was okay, it was a bit off what it could have been. We need to push really hard tomorrow and see where we can improve my car, as we still have some balance problems.

Chanoch Nissany: It was really exciting to take part in my first Formula One race weekend. I made two runs this morning, but unfortunately, this afternoon some technical issues arose with the car and couldn't be fixed in the time available. I like the track here very much – it's my home circuit – and it has been a big honour for me to have the opportunity to become the first Israeli to drive in a Grand Prix weekend.

Paul Stoddart, Team Principal, Minardi Cosworth: First all, our congratulations go to Chanoch on his Formula One debut as a Minardi test driver. The morning session started satisfactorily, but towards the end of the hour, a hydraulic problem curtailed the rest of Chanoch's day. Nevertheless, there will be further opportunities as he continues his testing programme with Minardi throughout the year. Robert and Christijan had a more productive day. Both completed their Friday technical programmes, despite Christijan losing much of the first session with an electrical problem, and their times were impressive, all of which bodes well for the rest of the weekend here in Hungary.