Saturday First Free Practice - San Marino GP

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya and German Ralf Schumacher claimed the fastest two times of the first Saturday morning practice session for Williams-BMW as the clouds disappeared and the temperatures rose at a sun-soaked Imola track.

The surprisingly warmer weather favoured the Michelin tyres and Montoya grabbed first spot ahead of his teammate, with Scot David Coulthard, who had hoped for better weather, third in the Michelin-shod McLaren-Mercedes.

Quadruple World Champion German Michael Schumacher, who claimed the fastest time in both the wet Friday practice sessions, dropped to fourth fastest in his Bridgestone-shod Ferrari, while his Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello managed only ninth and spun after the chequered flag ended the session.

The impressively fast Arrows of German Heinz-Harald Frentzen was fifth fastest, just ahead of the British American Racing Hondas of Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, in sixth, and Frenchman Olivier Panis, in seventh.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, in the Jordan, continued the run of eight Bridgestone runners behind the top three with eighth place ahead of Barrichello, with Brazilian Felipe Massa, who had an early off-track excursion, completing the top ten for Sauber.

Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa was forced to return to the pits on foot after he spun his Jaguar and stopped out on the circuit, and Fisichella was another man left stranded when he stopped on track after the chequered flag.

Pos Driver Team Times 1. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:29.718 197.940 km/h 2. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:29.799 + 0.081 3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:30.368 + 0.650 4. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:30.696 + 0.978 5. Frentzen Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:31.089 + 1.371 6. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:31.314 + 1.596 7. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:31.403 + 1.685 8. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) 1:31.562 + 1.844 9. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:31.607 + 1.889 10. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) 1:31.612 + 1.894 11. Bernoldi Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:32.304 + 2.586 12. McNish Toyota (M) 1:32.343 + 2.625 13. Sato Jordan Honda (B) 1:32.400 + 2.682 14. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:32.548 + 2.830 15. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:33.123 + 3.405 16. Button Renault (M) 1:34.202 + 4.484 17. Trulli Renault (M) 1:35.987 + 6.269 18. Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:36.805 + 7.087 19. Salo Toyota (M) 1:37.530 + 7.812 20. Yoong Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:40.248 + 10.530 21. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:50.851 + 21.133 22. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 29:35.824 + 28:06.10 All Timing Unofficial