Montoya Happy Despite Gap to Ferrari

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was in optimistic mood after today's practice for the Italian Grand Prix, despite finishing over a second behind the Ferrari of World Champion Michael Schumacher, who topped the timesheets in front of the Italian fans.

"Overall I had good day," said Montoya, who scored his first and so far only Grand Prix win at Monza last year after starting from pole. "I am happy with the balance of the car, which gradually improved throughout the sessions.

"The tyres behaved well which is a very important factor on this circuit. I think this is going to be an interesting weekend for us, as we seem to be in quite a good shape on this track."

Montoya posted the fifth quickest time and was the fastest of the Williams drivers, with teammate Ralf Schumacher finishing down in seventh place.

"My practice session went quite well," he said. "There is still some work to do to optimise the car, but overall I am confident. A lot will depend on our tyre choice. This track is also hard on the brakes. Now we are working on the set-up for qualifying."