Minardi has announced that Enrico Toccacelo is to become the Faenza squad's official Friday Test and Reserve Driver, commencing at next weekend's Turkish Grand Prix. The Italian born and domiciled racer thus makes the final step to Formula One after a consistent rise through the lower motor racing formulae, his most impressive achievement to date being his second-place ranking in the final standings of the hard-fought 2004 FIA F3000 International Championship.

"This is a great opportunity for me, although it has all come together so quickly, I still can't quite believe it," comments Toccacelo. "This is, however, the moment that all young racing drivers are working towards, and I am determined to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can, while doing the best possible job for the team. Minardi has shown many times that it is an excellent place for a driver to start his Formula One career, and I intend to make the most of this opportunity."

Minardi F1 Team Principal, Paul Stoddart, says, "We are very pleased to have Enrico join us as official Friday test driver. He has a strong track record in a number of formulae, and this will be an excellent way for him to begin to get to grips with Formula One. I'm equally sure he will soon be able to start providing useful data to the team's technical staff. The Minardi Cosworth PS05 has already shown that it has considerable potential, and I'm sure the inclusion of Enrico in our driver line-up will help to accelerate the development process."