Friday January 28th, 2000

The Minardi ran testing towards the 2000 season yesterday and today at Ferrari's Fiorano circuit.

Yesterday Marc Gene ran the 1999 car with some technical innovations. The Spaniard ran on the track for the very first time, and had to get accustomed to it under polar weather conditions. The work programme, focused on brakes, was achieved as scheduled. Marc covered 42 laps with his best time in 1:02.882 - only one tenth slower than the M01 record lap set by Luca Badoer last year.

"I feel very satisfied with the outcome of the today's test and also pretty excited because I made my debut on this track," Gene commented.

Today, Gaston Mazzacane took over the car but the test began very late since the track was completely icy in the morning. Nonetheless, the driver completed a total of 40 laps with his best time in 1:03.705. Late in the afternoon the programme was interrupted due to ice which formed on the track again.

"I feel pretty satisfied with the today's outcome. The car had a good balance and the innovations we tested for the M02 seemed very positive to me - I believe that the technical staff is on the right direction," Mazzacane said. "I am also delighted to feel myself more and more at ease with the Minardi crew and in the cockpit."

Mazzacane is also a contender for the second Minardi seat, however the team said Giancarlo Minardi is about to leave for South America in the next few days and he is likely to make a stop also in Argentina, which might suggest the team is interested in either Mazzacane or Norberto Fontana.

The 2000 Fiorano lap record is 1:00.226 (L. Badoer)