Ferraris bypass Davidson diversion

Hungarian Grand Prix: Britain's new boy a welcome sideshow as Barrichello and Schumacher vary the old one-two

It is not casting aspersions on Anthony Davidson to suggest that his Formula One debut in a Minardi would not normally be the headline story of a Grand Prix weekend. But these are not normal times.

For a start, more space is available in the paddock here at the Hungaroring, as a couple of hundred square metres allocated to the Arrows team are vacant in their absence; their chances of survival get slimmer by the day. Then, the flood water (though easy for the insular F1 circus to ignore) advancing towards Budapest along the Danube is no small matter. Oh, and the World Championship was wrapped up aeons ago.

Truth be told, Friday and Saturday at the Hungaroring were slow days in a fast sport. For Minardi it couldn't have been better, as the smaller story advanced up the scale. And to his credit Davidson, about whom few but paddock diehards who follow the progress of young drivers knew anything, handled whatever pressure he was feeling with an aplomb well beyond his 23 years. The deal was done so late in the day to replace the Malaysian driver Alex Yoong in the KL Minardi Asiatech team that Davidson did not even have time to have a pair of overalls made. He raced wearing a set provided by a team mechanic of suitably modest stature. "I'll probably end up looking like Jacques Villeneuve," Davidson observed laconically, referring to the French-Canadian's penchant for the grunge look of clothing two sizes too big.

The Hemel Hempstead-born F3 graduate is familiar with Villeneuve, of course, having tested cars for the BAR-Honda team for the past two seasons. And he politely slipped into the conversation the information that whenever they have shared track time in the past he has generally been within half a second of the former champion and his current race partner, Olivier Panis. All that experience is part of the reason why the man who has raced against Jenson Button since the Cadet karting days of their pre-teen youth did not regard driving the Minardi as a step to be approached with trepidation.

"Because of all the testing I've been able to do I know what an F1 car feels like, but I expect the Minardi to be slower so it won't actually be a step up for me," he said, matter-of-factly. He was, he said, more excited about the prospect of taking part in a fully structured Grand Prix weekend than he was about being up to the task. "I was very busy in the first F1 test I ever did. It was more nerve- racking because I was so concerned with keeping out of everyone's way. Here I can afford to be more selfish because I have to focus on my qualifying so I can make the race. To be honest, I'll regard it as a job well done if I qualify. If I am close to Mark [his team-mate, the experienced Australian Mark Webber] then it will have been a perfect weekend for me."

Davidson did a little bit better than that on Friday, when he capped an excellent day by beating Webber by one-tenth of a second. His performance in qualifying yesterday, when he was only half a second adrift, fully endorsed his claim to a place in the sport's highest echelon.

The final minutes of qualifying were the most anxious time for him, when his own role was over, because the battle for pole between Ferrari team-mates Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher threatened to push the Minardis beyond the 107 per cent rule that has in the past denied Yoong a race. Schumacher had been quick all weekend but, when it came down to it, Barrichello showed the sort of form he had in Austria and at the Nürburgring. Schumacher had lost little time in responding to an early challenge from brother Ralf, as Barrichello's first attempt to qualify was thwarted when Jenson Button spun in front of him. But the Brazilian soon recovered momentum and put in the fastest time. Schumacher's later efforts fell short as Barrichello trimmed a few hundredths off his time just to be sure. (F1's many conspiracy theorists were prompted to suggest the world champion had "thrown" qualifying to avoid an embarrassing situation over team orders were he to lead the race and then have Ferrari decide the Hungarian GP should be Barrichello's payback for giving Schumacher the Austrian race. Slow weekends are fertile breeding areas for speculation.)

Only Ralf Schumacher in his BMW Williams was able to get anywhere near the Ferraris, whose pace makes another red walkover almost a formality. Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli, for Jordan-Honda and Renault respectively, gave stirring performances to share the third row of the grid ahead of the Sauber Petronases of Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld. But qualifying was a disaster for McLaren-Mercedes' David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen. After the Scot's fine victory in Monte Carlo, the circuit that most resembles the Hungaroring, much had been expected of the silver arrows. But their hard-compound Michelin tyres left them stranded in 10th and 11th positions. On a circuit where overtaking is almost impossible and grid places are as prized as diamonds, the tyre choice appeared to be a dramatic tactical error.

"Starting from pole I have the best chance as the track is cleanest on that side," Barrichello said, doubtless hoping that Schumacher won't persuade Ferrari that his own attempt to set a new record of 10 wins in a season should take precedence.