Stoddart Backs Yoong ahead of Monza Debut

European Minardi team chief Paul Stoddart has backed his new driver Alex Yoong and said he will not be a danger in his first Grand Prix next week.

Yoong, who currently competed in the Formula Nippon championship, will make his Formula One debut at the Italian Grand Prix after replacing Tarso Marques for the remainder of the season, and the young Malaysian has the full backing of Stoddart.

"Nobody these days is a rookie by the time they step in the car," said Stoddart. "He might be a rookie to Formula One but he is not a rookie as far as a racing driver is concerned and I don't think in any way that he is going to be dangerous.

"If I thought that then I wouldn't be putting him in and he wouldn't have been granted a superlicence because everybody knew exactly when he was coming in.

"He has already tested there, so I don't think the speeds are going to phase him one bit, and as for closing speeds well, Monza is a good track to not get lapped too many times, so he is just going to have to watch himself at a couple of stages."