Williams aims for Monza win

It's been a difficult year for the team, and even when it has been competitive, misfortune has struck hard. Williams was the most competitive it had been all season in Belgium. Juan Pablo Montoya fought for the win before his tyre failure and Brazilian youngster Antonio Pizzonia was heading for his first podium when his gearbox failed.

But after a successful test at Monza, where Pizzonia emerged fastest of all yesterday, the team hopes to set the record straight in Italy.

"After the disappointing outcome of the Belgian Grand Prix, our aim remains to collect as many points as possible," said Montoya. "We proved we could do it, but we just need a bit more luck!

"We had a productive three day test in Monza this week where we managed to complete our scheduled programme, so I am confident that we will have a good race weekend in Italy. We should be able to perform well in Monza this year because the circuit suits our chassis and engine package and both Antonio and I like the track.

Pizzonia was gutted in Belgium, but thanks to Ralf Schumacher's insurance company, he gets another crack in Italy. It could well be the Brazilian's last outing of the season so he will want to shine.

"After the disappointment of missing my first podium in Spa, I am very happy to be racing in another grand prix, especially on this track which I really enjoy. I have raced in Monza twice in F3000, but never in an F1 car, and I just can't wait. Having tested on this track for three days, I should be in the best possible position to race here.

"This is one of the most exciting races on the calendar because it offers a lot of overtaking opportunities, like on the long start/finish straight where you can slip stream and pass at the first corner. We have a good engine for the long straights and our car is really good over the kerbs and under braking, which is all you need here.

Williams F1 technical director Sam Michael is confident that the team has a chance to finally break its duck: "We will have some mechanical and engine improvements on the cars for this race. In addition, the team has focused on brake work at the Monza test this week in preparation for the hard braking the cars will experience during the race. Even though our starts were good at Spa, we have been working hard to make further advances.

"Michelin has also been hard at work since the tyre failure we had on Juan's car in Belgium, and have devised a new, higher strength rear tyre. Their work for Spa showed that they were in the correct compound region for the race. Antonio will once again drive alongside Juan and, after his excellent drive in Spa, he is looking for a strong result with his team mate."