Free Practice 2: Williams dominates

The combination of a Williams chassis, a BMW engine and Michelin tyres was always going to be a force to be reckoned with at the high-speed Monza track and Schumacher Jr proved all predictions right.

The German set a time that would not be beaten just 13 minutes into the second hour-long session and was the only man to get into below 1m25s with a lap of 1m24.667s, almost half a second clear of team mate Montoya in second place.

Try as he might, the Colombian could not match the pace of his team mate and despite picking his way through the temporary barriers after late-braking at the first chicane on several occasions, Montoya had to settle for second place. He did, however, manage to keep world champion and lead Bridgestone runner Michael Schumacher behind him in third.

As if to reinforce the strength of Michelin tyres around the Italian track, the Jaguar of Pedro de la Rosa finished in fourth place just 0.074s behind the elder Schumacher. Like Schuey Jr before him, de la Rosa set his best time early in the session jumping up from the foot of the top 10.

Eddie Irvine was less fortunate in the second Jaguar. A spin caused by a brake problem just five minutes into the session left the Ulsterman's R2 beached in the gravel at the Ascari corner, bringing his session to very premature end and leaving him a lowly 19th by the close.

Rubens Barrichello ensured both black-nosed Ferraris were ahead of their McLaren rivals by going fifth fastest with the help of a tow from Enrique Bernoldi's Arrows on the pit straight. Mika Hakkinen put thoughts of a year off out of his mind to go sixth fastest, just two tenths ahead of McLaren team mate David Coulthard in seventh.

After the dramas of the first session for the Sauber team, which saw both Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld have big offs, neither car was fit to run during the second hour. Heidfeld's time from earlier in the morning was good enough to put the German eighth, but the Swiss team's lack of running today, could hurt them during qualifying on Saturday.

Jean Alesi did his campaign for holding on to his Jordan seat for next year no harm at all by finishing three places ahead of team mate Jarno Trulli, albeit in ninth spot.

Meanwhile, Jordan refugee Heinz-Harald Frentzen put in a mammoth effort to round out the top 10 in his Prost. The German managed to survive a brief flirtation with the barrier after running wide with two wheels on the grass at the Variante della Roggia chicane late in the session.

Formula 1 debutantes Tomas Enge and Alex Yoong made inauspicious starts to their Grand Prix careers. Enge, who is standing in for the injured Luciano Burti at Prost, finished in 20th place as he got to grips with the differences between his Nordic Formula 3000 Lola and the AP04. Yoong has replaced Tarso Marques at Minardi and he was yet further back in 22nd and last place.

For combined Friday practice times, click here.