Raikkonen Predicts Close Race

Finland's Kimi Raikkonen has predicted an interesting Italian Grand Prix after qualifying in seventh place for the Monza race.

Qualifying was very tight from second to 10th places, with nine drivers separated by just half a second. Brazilian Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello proved to be in a league of his own, finishing 0.531 seconds in front of the nearest of his rivals.

Raikkonen, the Belgian Grand Prix winner two weeks ago, was satisfied with his lap and, given the small gap to his rivals, he is expecting a close race tomorrow.

"It was an OK lap. I think I was a bit too quick coming into the last corner and possibly lost some time, but otherwise it was good," said the Finn. "Rubens is a lot faster than everybody else, but apart from him we are all pretty close.

"It will be interesting to see what happens in the race when it becomes clear what strategy other teams have chosen. In addition the weather might play a role as some say it could rain."

Raikkonen's teammate David Coulthard was 10th quickest after making a mistake at the Ascari chicane.

"A very close qualifying session where a few tenths of a second made a big difference to where you are on the grid," Coulthard said. "My lap was a tidy one. However, I did lose a small amount of time in Ascari, but because we are so close this cost me some positions.

"We believe that our strategy will allow us a strong race."