Monza, day 2: Coulthard ahead again
David Coulthard went fastest again on the second day of testing at Monza today (Wednesday), shaving half a second off his Tuesday time. With team-mate Kimi Raikkonen second-quickest, the "old" McLaren is still looking anything but over the hill.
The day's running started off wet, but the conditions were dry and hot by lunchtime. Both Williams and McLaren were trying special new tyres produced by Michelin in response to the FIA's new measuring procedures. Williams lost valuable running time preparing the new car that arrived from Grove, and Marc Gene only managed three laps in it.
It is not certain whether all the Michelin teams were able to run new-spec tyres today, but Michelin runners Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Mark Webber (Jaguar) both suffered left-rear tyre failures. Ralf Schumacher's heavy accident yesterday appears to have been caused by an unidentified failure at the left rear of the car. The Monza circuit features mainly right-handed bends, which subjects the left rear of the car to the most wear and tear.
Webber admitted he was running the new tyres when the failure occurred, adding: "This was not a constructive day at all for us. We had tyre issues and car reliability problems. We weren't able to work on the setup at all."
Alonso also suffered an engine failure on a day when minor incidents caused a number of red flags.
Zsolt Baumgartner completed 70 laps in the Jordan, with a fastest lap better than that of Giancarlo Fisichella. It has been confirmed that Swede Bjorn Wirdheim will take part in a full day's testing with the Jordan team tomorrow.
Jacques Villeneuve, meanwhile, said he was pleased with his day's work and had found a tyre that would go well in the Grand Prix. The Canadian did an energy-sapping 136 laps today. Meanwhile the Toyota pairing had a problematic day, completing just 34 laps between them.
The final day of testing is tomorrow (Thursday).
David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m21.533s 50
Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m21.750s 78
Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber-Petronas) 1m22.125s 78
Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1m22.148s 59
Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) 1m22.150 28
Luca Badoer (Ferrari) 1m22.164 64
Jacques Villeneuve (BAR-Honda) 1m22.183 136
Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) 1m22.238 34
Jarno Trulli (Renault) 1m22.413 82
Jenson Button (BAR-Honda) 1m22.497 79
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