Friday Second Free Practice

Kimi Raikkonen carried his race-winning form from the last race in Belgium into for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix as he topped the times in Friday's second practice at the sun-drenched Monza circuit.

Finn Raikkonen, who completed McLaren's return to the front with victory at Spa two weekends ago, set the pace with a time of 1:20.846 seconds but failed to better the time set by Michael Schumacher in the opening session.

Raikkonen finished 0.053 seconds ahead of second-placed Brazilian Rubens Barrichello of Ferrari with World Champion Schumacher third having run wide over the kerbs on his final flying lap.

Briton Jenson Button finished fourth fastest for BAR-Honda with Antonio Pizzonia fifth for Williams but the Brazilian finished his session early when he crashed out heavily.

Japan's Takuma Sato split the two Williams drivers by setting the sixth fastest time of the session with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya seventh, two tenths off the pace of Pizzonia.

Anthony Davidson made it three BARs in the top ten by setting the eighth fastest time with Spaniard Fernando Alonso, of Renault, and Scot David Coulthard, in the second McLaren, completing the top ten runners.

German Nick Heidfeld, who finished 22nd fastest in the opening session, suffered early disaster in the second and stopped on track at the Curva Grande in his Jordan after just three minutes.

Sato set the pace early on but Schumacher soon soared back to the top of the times, although with track temperatures now up to 40 degrees his lap time was not as fast as the one he set in the first session, and Raikkonen and Barrichello eventually moved ahead.

Pizzonia had a major crash as he headed through the Parabolica and went straight on over the gravel trap before colliding heavily with the tyre barriers and badly damaging the right hand side of his Williams car.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:20.846 13 2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:20.899 + 0.053 21 3. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:21.080 + 0.234 20 4. Button BAR-Honda (M) 1:21.124 + 0.278 16 5. Pizzonia Williams-BMW (M) 1:21.264 + 0.418 18 6. Sato BAR-Honda (M) 1:21.313 + 0.467 20 7. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 1:21.419 + 0.573 17 8. Davidson BAR-Honda (M) 1:21.544 + 0.698 37 9. Alonso Renault (M) 1:21.630 + 0.784 18 10. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:22.052 + 1.206 12 11. Trulli Renault (M) 1:22.191 + 1.345 19 12. Briscoe Toyota (M) 1:22.197 + 1.351 35 13. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:22.258 + 1.412 18 14. Zonta Toyota (M) 1:22.298 + 1.452 22 15. Fisichella Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:22.302 + 1.456 12 16. Glock Jordan-Ford (B) 1:22.332 + 1.486 17 17. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:22.392 + 1.546 24 18. Panis Toyota (M) 1:22.813 + 1.967 15 19. Wirdheim Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:22.914 + 2.068 26 20. Klien Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:23.199 + 2.353 25 21. Pantano Jordan-Ford (B) 1:23.818 + 2.972 17 22. Leinders Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:24.045 + 3.199 19 23. Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:24.063 + 3.217 17 24. Bruni Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:24.225 + 3.379 23 25. Heidfeld Jordan-Ford (B) No Time 2 All timing unofficial