Minardi Sign Nissany as Test Driver

Minardi have appointed Israeli Chanoch Nissany as their official test driver for the 2005 season, the Formula One team said on Wednesday.

Budapest-based Nissany is the first Israeli driver to participate in Formula One but has little chance of racing as he is not slated to take part in the Friday practice sessions before Grand Prix weekends.

Nissany, 41, started his driving career only in 2002, competing in Hungarian domestic championships and winning the domestic F2000 titles in 2003 and 2004 before branching out into the F3000 international series.

The Israeli has had four tests - two with Jordan and two with Minardi.

"This is a genuinely historic moment and we are immensely proud to be signing the first ever Israeli test driver in Formula One and we look forward to enhancing it as a sport in Israel," Australian team owner Paul Stoddart told reporters.

Stoddart said Nissany would take part in testing on Friday but would have to earn his super licence in order to race in Formula One.

"He has shown me... that he has the fitness, the mental capacity and the motivation. He wants to do well and work towards testing and attaining the all important super licence, and on to bigger and better things," Stoddart added.

Nissany said he realised his signing was only the first small foray for Israel into F1.

"From the Israeli viewpoint I hope this will be a breakthrough for the young generation who I'm sure will go much further than me in the sport," he said.

Minardi have by far the smallest budget of the 10 Formula One teams and need their drivers to bring substantial sponsorship with them. Nissany comes to Minardi with Israeli/European sponsors Upex International, although the deal between the parties was not specified.

Minardi have signed Dutchman Christijan Albers as one of their race drivers with the other expected to be announced shortly. The main candidates are Denmark's Nicolas Kiesa, Hungarian Zsolt Baumgartner and Austrian Patrick Friesacher.

On Tuesday, India's Narain Karthikeyan announced he was poised to sign an agreement to drive for Jordan this year, becoming the first Indian to compete in the F1 championship.