Saturday First Free Practice - Italian GP
World Champion Michael Schumacher made the most of low temperatures and overcast skies to lead a Ferrari one-two in the first Saturday morning practice session ahead of this Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
World Champion Michael Schumacher made the most of low temperatures and overcast skies to lead a Ferrari one-two in the first Saturday morning practice session ahead of this Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
German Schumacher, who is just one point ahead of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya in the world championship, set a time of 1:21.623 to head Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello by 0.523 secs.
Schumacher was almost a full second of third-placed driver David Coulthard, of McLaren-Mercedes, just ahead of fourth-placed Briton Jenson Button, whose best result at Monza was fifth last year.
Montoya, who finished fastest in Friday's qualifying session and will run last in Saturday's grid-deciding qualifying, finished fifth just four hundredths of a second ahead of new team-mate Marc Gene.
Spaniard Gene, the Williams-BMW test driver, was told he would be replacing the injured Ralf Schumacher for this weekend's race on Saturday morning but settled in quickly.
He finished three hundredths of a second ahead of championship challenger Kimi Raikkonen, in the second McLaren with the Renaults of Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli eighth and ninth and Jacques Villeneuve's BAR-Honda tenth.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:21.623 255.502 km/h 13 2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:22.146 + 0.523 15 3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:22.552 + 0.929 17 4. Button BAR Honda (B) 1:22.642 + 1.019 19 5. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:22.646 + 1.023 18 6. Gene Williams BMW (M) 1:22.685 + 1.062 21 7. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:22.718 + 1.095 14 8. Alonso Renault (M) 1:22.731 + 1.108 18 9. Trulli Renault (M) 1:22.735 + 1.112 16 10. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:23.120 + 1.497 19 11. da Matta Toyota (M) 1:23.312 + 1.689 12 12. Frentzen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:23.572 + 1.949 17 13. Wilson Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:23.955 + 2.332 16 14. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:24.134 + 2.511 13 15. Webber Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:24.454 + 2.831 17 16. Fisichella Jordan Ford (B) 1:25.194 + 3.571 12 17. Kiesa Minardi Cosworth (B) 1:25.870 + 4.247 18 18. Verstappen Minardi Cosworth (B) 1:25.934 + 4.311 15 19. Baumgartner Jordan Ford (B) 1:26.295 + 4.672 17 20. Panis Toyota (M) 1:34.100 + 12.477 4 All Timing Unofficial
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