Malcharek tests Minardi.
Jirko Malch?rek became the first Slovak driver to test a Formula One car, when he was given a run in one by Minardi earlier this week.
Spurred on by the emergence of Czech neighbour Tomas Enge - who made it as far as grands prix, first as test driver with Jordan, then as a fully fledged race driver with the now defunct Prost team in 2001 - the Slovaks have been keen to promote one of their own to the top flight. Although Malcharek is not likely to start a race for Minardi this season, he has at least had the chance to impress team boss Paul Stoddart with his ability.
Jirko Malch?rek became the first Slovak driver to test a Formula One car, when he was given a run in one by Minardi earlier this week.
Spurred on by the emergence of Czech neighbour Tomas Enge - who made it as far as grands prix, first as test driver with Jordan, then as a fully fledged race driver with the now defunct Prost team in 2001 - the Slovaks have been keen to promote one of their own to the top flight. Although Malcharek is not likely to start a race for Minardi this season, he has at least had the chance to impress team boss Paul Stoddart with his ability.
More accustomed to the rigours of GT racing - where he last partnered Britain's Kelvin Burt in a Cirtek Racing Porsche at Brno - Malcharek signed an agreement with Minardi to act as test driver on selected occasions for the rest of the year. His first outing came in a private session where he shook down one of regular pilot Mark Webber's cars.
The cash-strapped team has cut back on its test outings in an attempt to stretch its resources to the end of the year, and already has Italian F3 graduate Matteo Bobbi on its books as test driver, but Malcharek's arrival could spark renewed interest in the team, especially in Eastern Europe.
