Ton up for Fisichella

Although the Jordan star has yet to win a race, since starting his career with Minardi at the 1996 Australian GP he has racked up 26 top-six finishes, including five second places and four thirds. He has also taken one pole position (Austria 1998) and set one fastest lap (Spain 1997) and is very highly regarded within the Jordan team.

"Fisichella is a very, very good driver, one of the best," said Jordan's director of race and test engineering Gary Anderson. "At the beginning of the season we didn't give him a car or engine to match his ability, but we've worked very hard and I think we are moving in the right direction. Giancarlo has responded with a brilliant hat-trick of fifth places and although we're not yet in a position to beat the best teams, we are now giving both drivers something they can work with."

Ironically Fisichella's best result in F1 at the Nurburgring is fifth, a position he'd be delighted to repeat on Sunday.

"It is a circuit I am familiar with as I have driven here so many times, not only in Formula 1 but also in the DTM series," said the Italian. "This year we will experience some significant changes to the original track, which should be interesting. I hope to be able to continue the series of positive results which began in Austria."

Jordan has gone well at the track before. In 1999, Heinz-Harald Frentzen set pole position for the race and led for the first 32 laps before dropping out with an electrical problem.