Despite finishing in 19th and 20th positions respectively in this afternoon's qualifying session for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, Minardi drivers Mark Webber and Anthony Davidson both put in strong performances.

Webber elected to use only nine of his 12 available qualifying laps, thus conserving an extra set of fresh tyres for the race, while Davidson, already making a positive impression in his first-ever Grand Prix weekend, completed the session with a lap time only 0.5 seconds slower than his team mate.

"It has been quite a tough weekend for us so far, trying to generate the grip that we need on this circuit, but on every track we've gone to this year we've being making some really good advancements on last year's Minardi times," Webber commented afterwards.

"The balance of the car is not too bad - it's just overall grip that's our major concern. We are trying everything, but it may be a long race for us tomorrow."

Davidson was thrilled with his first F1™ racing qualifying session, but had hoped to be closer to Webber's time. "That was good, and I'm pleased to have qualified for my first Grand Prix, but there was definitely more to come and I'm slightly disappointed that I didn't achieve it," he said.

"In particular, I wish I could have got a little closer to Mark's time today because I know it's in me. I felt my way a little in the first run and then pushed hard in the second to set what I knew needed to be a 'banker'.

"I was then able to have a real go in the next run, but unfortunately, it just didn't quite come together for me. It was definitely a bit nerve-wracking going out for that first run this afternoon, but I've always loved qualifying, and the precision and concentration needed to set a competitive time in just one or two laps.

"The next goal for this weekend is to run consistently in the race, stay out of trouble and get my first Grand Prix finish under my belt. I also need to learn as much as I can about pit stops and race strategy. I'm really looking forward to it."

Team principal Paul Stoddart added: "Despite completing today's qualifying session in P19 and P20, this was an excellent afternoon's work for both Minardi drivers.

"The team also derived satisfaction from seeing a useful improvement on last year's lap times. Both Mark and Anthony extracted the maximum from their cars today and, in Mark's case, he succeeded in conserving valuable rubber for tomorrow's race.

"Full credit to Anthony for a faultless performance over the last two days - the whole team wishes him well for his first-ever Formula One™ race tomorrow."