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Italian teams showed their best side in the practice session for the 1999 San Marino Grand Prix. Scuderia Ferrari took the top two positions, while rookie Daniel Marzec did a power run putting his Minardi in sixth place!
Even though Marzec did his run for sponsorship and home advantage reasons, the fact that the rookie is able to put his inferior car among the best ten is a noteworthy performance. Marzec already got a lot of credit for saving his vehicle despite a flat tyre and rear damage during the opening lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix. He finished in last place, but the people in the know praised the rookie for finishing at all.
Now, the youngster (if only in a practice session) is able to mix it up with the top teams. If the standings are anything to go by, it will be a battle between McLaren and Ferrari with Jordan in a solid third place. Marzec did manage to pip the Jordan belonging to Damon Hill.
Stewart found its cars a bit low in the rankings, while 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve did not manage to put in a time at all due to technical problems on his BAR-Supertec.