Pizzonia glad to be back

The former Jaguar driver replaces reserve driver Marc Gene this weekend as race driver Ralf Schumacher recuperates from his two fractured vertebrae sustained at the US Grand Prix.

The Brazilian was fifth quickest in the second practice session, less than two tenths off his team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya and four tenths off pacesetter Michael Schumacher (Ferrari).

"We had two productive sessions today," he said. "As it was the first time I've driven at Hockenheim in a Formula 1 car, I spent most of the time getting to know the secrets of the track, and how the FW26 behaves around this circuit.

"When I raced here in F3000 I really liked the circuit and once I finished in first - on the old circuit, which is a good omen. We will have to wait and see what qualifying will bring tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to a good session. It's good to be racing again and I must say thanks to the team for having offered me this great opportunity."

Montoya finished the day third quickest behind Schumacher and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen. The Colombian had a problem-free session but was unable to see the potential of the FW26 after making a mistake while on new rubber.

"It was a good day," he said. "I had some small problems in the morning but the afternoon session was a lot better. The car was much more stable than usual but I made a mistake when I went out on my first set of new tyres and I could not take advantage of them. We managed to do a couple of good long runs so I believe we are looking pretty good for the rest of the weekend."

Technical director Sam Michael was pleased with Pizzonia's first-day effort and the team's performance generally.

"We have had a productive first day with both drivers working through our normal race set-up and tyre evaluations, neither driver suffered mechanical problems," said the Australian. "Normally it is difficult to change race drivers but Antonio has adapted quickly and did a good job on his first day. Once again, we have brought some new aerodynamic and suspension parts to this race and they are working well here."

Ralf Schumacher is set to visit the team in Hockenheim on Saturday after five weeks of absence from the F1 paddock.