Webber shows his class to Minardi

Team boss Paul Stoddart has said that his fellow Australian will test for the team again at Misano in Italy next week after a super-quick 1m16.113sec lap at Valencia on Thursday. Webber dipped into the 1m16-sec bracket again today (Friday).

Stoddart also confirmed that the 25-year-old is in the frame for the team's second seat alongside Alex Yoong.

"We have been very impressed with Mark's performance at the test," said team boss Paul Stoddart. "So much so that he will test for us again next week. His time was very good, and this sort of performance shows that he can be competitive in F1.

"Mark is clearly on the shortlist [for 2002] but no decision will be taken until the Frentzen-Verstappen situation has been clarified," he added.

Webber, who finished second in last year's FIA Formula 3000 International Championship, has a long-term deal with Renault. The Regie's F1 boss, Flavio Briatore, has indicated that he is keen for Webber to gain race experience in Grands Prix.

"It was certainly great to be back in Formula 1 after the winter break, " said Webber after his two days with Minardi. "The car was very reliable and gave me the confidence to push harder. I'm very happy and feel pleased to help the team."