Atlas F1 News Editor
As expected, the Italian Grand Prix was a red party for the Ferrari team and their drivers, with both Rubens Barrichello and teammate Michael Schumacher proving once more than they have no rivals when it comes to the races. The Monza race, however, provided lots of action, drama and new records. Atlas F1's Pablo Elizalde reviews the entire weekend's events and results
In the end, and it has been the case during most of the year, Ferrari did not disappoint the tifosi and with another demonstration of superiority they cruised home, kicking off the celebrations of a year that will surely go down into the record books as one of the most dominant performances in Formula One history.
The Monza race marked the end of the European season, where Ferrari have won every event but the Monaco Grand Prix back in May, the last time that the historic Maranello-based outfit were beaten to the top step of the podium. When Formula One arrives at Indianapolis in two weeks time, it will be four months since there was a non-Ferrari winner, which says a lot about the team's consistency in 2002.
This time, however, it was not Michael Schumacher who starred the show for the Italian squad, giving up his usual number one status to an on-form Rubens Barrichello who, in his quest to secure the Championship's runner-up spot, put on another superb display of driving, giving further proof that he is performing at his best.
Despite failing to shine in qualifying, the Brazilian, driving flat out during most of the race, got the best out of his aggressive two-stop strategy to score his third Grand Prix win of the 2002 season, helping Ferrari culminate their flawless season with a party in front of the noisy flag-waving fans who crowded the main straight as the podium celebrations began.
"It was such a feeling," said Barrichello of the reception on the new Monza podium, which allowed the fans to get closer to their heroes. "I don't think we're ever going to experience something like that again. We were seeing people coming in, it was just unbelievable. As far as my eyes could go I saw only people, it was amazing."
With two races left in the Championship and without the need to help Barrichello now that the runner-up spot is all but secured, Schumacher is likely to return to his victory-hungry self to culminate the season with another victory on two circuits where the F2002 will probably have little opposition again.
Despite their trouble-free race, and for the first time in quite a few Grands Prix, the prospects of a Ferrari party looked threatened by the revived Williams duo, who after a couple of races struggling to beat McLaren benefitted from the low downforce nature of the Italian circuit to present a real challenge to the Ferrari drivers, if only for a brief moment.
Juan Pablo Montoya returned to form in qualifying to score his seventh pole position of the season, in the meantime setting the fastest ever lap in Formula One history, to give Williams a boost of confidence ahead of the race. Sunday, however, proved a disaster for both the Colombian and teammate Ralf Schumacher, who managed to lead the race briefly before his high-revving BMW engine blew up after only four laps.
Williams's misfortunes were, surprisingly, Jaguar's benefit, as the Milton Keynes squad put on their strongest showing since their debut in 2000, giving encouraging signs of a revival - or rather a turnaround in form - that was long overdue. An "astonishing" Eddie Irvine, in the words of his own boss Niki Lauda, took full advantage of problems of his rivals to make his return to the podium, especially sweet as it took place in his beloved Italy.
Although third place was an unexpected reward for his performance, Irvine had already shown in qualifying that the R3 had the pace to battle against the McLarens, and his second consecutive point-scoring finish showed that, at least when the circuit suits them, Jaguar are beginning to get their act together.
The Italian driver was one of the stars of the day, coming from the back of the grid to finish in fourth place after a brilliant charge to the front which demonstrated again that this year the mid-field is most of the times the place to watch for those looking for racing action.
Qualifying
After three consecutive Grands Prix where he struggled to show his impressive qualifying form from the earlier part of the season, Juan Pablo Montoya's revival could hardly have been more noticeable, not only because he spoiled Ferrari's party but also because he set the fastest lap ever in the history of Formula One, breaking Keke Rosberg's 17-year old record of 258.983 km/h of average.
"I think it's good but, you know, so long as we keep coming back to Monza and the track doesn't change much," said Montoya. "Probably next year it is going to be beaten again. It is pretty amazing how quick we went, about two seconds a lap quicker than last year, so it is pretty impressive I would say."
The Williams chassis, which had not been up to the expected speed at Spa two weeks earlier, proved to be perfectly suited for riding the kerbs and running down the long straights of the Italian track, and aided by a record-breaking BMW engine - which crossed the 19,000 rpm mark for the first time in qualifying - Montoya had no rivals.
It was also the second pole in two races at Monza, and his time was nearly two seconds faster than last year's. Not even Michael Schumacher could do anything to stop the Colombian from snatching pole in Ferrari's home soil, and despite his best efforts the German had to settle for second place, a position he was pleased with after the Williams looked set for a front row lockout during most of the session.
Schumacher, however, remained confident of reverting the situation in the race after opting for a more consistent Bridgestone tyre compound, that although it did not prove to be the quickest option for qualifying, it would offer the German a solid performance on Sunday. Unusually, Schumacher set his fastest time on the fifth lap of a run with the same tyres.
"It seemed like we couldn't make it on the first lap time so we had to deal with the way our tyres were in a different way, with a different strategy to our competitors which for us I wouldn't say was a downside honestly," he explained. "It is just we were not fast enough in qualifying condition. We hope, naturally, that we can be fast enough tomorrow."
The Ferrari star benefitted from the red flag that hampered Ralf's final run, which stopped the Williams driver from completing a clear flying lap during the dying moments of the session. The session was stopped with over two minutes remaining after Kimi Raikkonen and Takuma Sato were involved in an incident that the race stewards deemed it was the McLaren driver's fault.
Jordan's Sato, on a flying lap, was about to overtake Raikkonen when the Finn moved right on the straight right before the second chicane, leaving the Japanese driver with no place to go. Sato crashed into the back of the McLaren, and both cars, unlike the drivers, were heavily damaged. The stewards decided to penalise Raikkonen and so the Finn was demoted to sixth place behind Eddie Irvine in the Jaguar.
Barrichello finished last of the top runners, with Raikkonen and Irvine as best of the rest nearly a second behind the Ferrari driver. The Irishman, whose Jaguar team had already showed signs of progress at Spa, completed the team's best qualifying performance with his fifth spot following Raikkonen's penalty. That despite two of his runs being spoiled by a problem with his gearbox.
"We are very much on the pace," said Irvine. "Getting points is more than a possibility tomorrow but it's far from a formality. The Jaguar R3 feels like a very different animal to the one we started the season with. It feels like a real racing car now and I cannot wait to take it racing tomorrow."
Jaguar's brilliant day was completed by Pedro de la Rosa's eighth quickest time, right behind David Coulthard in the second of the McLarens, the Scot outqualified by his younger teammate for the tenth time this season after struggling with the balance of his car during the hour-long session.
The top ten was rounded up by Jacques Villeneuve, using the latest spec Honda engine, and Mika Salo in the first of the Toyotas, proving again that the Japanese engine from the Cologne-based squad has little to envy when it comes to power.
The Race
Race day was welcomed by a sunny sky that raised temperatures to around 35 degrees Celsius before the start, something that, at least this time, did not seem to play into the hands of the Michelin runners, with the Bridgestone rubber proving hard to warm up during most of the weekend.
The Williams driver, however, left his braking too late and was forced to cut the first chicane. Montoya nearly did the same, while Rubens Barrichello had taken advantage of the inside line to move ahead of his teammate after the tight first corner. Kimi Raikkonen gained a position to move up to fifth place, although his race came close to the end when teammate David Coulthard touched the back of his McLaren. The Finn had no problems to continue fifth, but the Scot paid the price for his error, losing his front wing.
"After the start at the first chicane I ran into the back of Kimi as he slowed to avoid a car in front of him, and I wasn't quick enough to react," admitted the Scot, who had to slowly complete a whole lap before diving into the pits before rejoining the race at the back of the grid. After Coulthard's incident, Eddie Irvine regained sixth place, with a fast-starting Allan McNish gaining five places to move up to seventh position.
Despite going over the newly introduced speed bumps at the first chicanes, Ralf managed to keep the lead ahead of Montoya, Barrichello and Schumacher, the Brazilian, clearly faster than the Colombian, all over the back of the Williams as his rival did his best to keep him at bay.
In the single space of 15 seconds, Ferrari were back as favourites, and more so when two laps later Montoya, who had went wide at the Variante della Roggia, lost second place to Schumacher at the same place where he had been overtaken by Barrichello, who had took off immediately after getting rid of the Colombian. By lap ten, the Brazilian was nearly ten seconds ahead of his teammate, with Montoya already 16 second behind.
A bit further back, McNish, who had moved up into the points after Ralf's retirement was under intense pressure from Olivier Panis with a very light BAR before the Scot was forced to come into the pits to check his front suspension, his hopes of scoring his first Formula One points vanishing. Trulli, who had sensationally charged from the back of the grid, was already 10th.
There was more action in the mid-field, with Felipe Massa and Pedro de la Rosa battling for 12th position, a fight that would end up in tears when the Sauber driver returned to the racing line while the Jaguar was there. The cars touched and both were forced to retire, but Massa came off worst, the Brazilian becoming the first to be punished under the new sanction introduced this season for those who cause an avoidable collision, losing ten grid positions in the next race.
After a few scares at the second Lesmo, where he ran slightly wide three times, Schumacher pitted and returned to the track in third, but was in second when Montoya came into the pits moments later. Fourth-placed Raikkonen did not have a chance to pit, his Mercedes engine letting go on lap 30, forcing the Finn into his ninth retirement in 15 races.
Raikkonen's retirement promoted Irvine to fourth spot and Panis up to fifth. Both drivers, however, would move up a position only three laps later, as Montoya returned to the pits, his Williams using only three wheels while turning around Parabolica. The Colombian rued the lost opportunity, but reckoned there was little he could do to fight the Ferraris.
"It's a shame that I had a problem with my chassis, because I still could have finished third," he said. "Anyway, this is racing and you can't do anything about it. It is clear that at the moment we are still underperforming compared to Ferrari. Over a race distance they are still well ahead of us."
Barrichello continued unaltered in the lead until it was time for his second stop on lap 37, when he was around 27 seconds ahead of his teammate. After standing still for 8.4 seconds, the Brazilian was back on track right in front of Schumacher, who lapped nearly two seconds slower than on his previous laps and who would continue to drop his pace significantly on the following few.
Irvine was up to third and Panis right behind him. The BAR driver would overtake the Jaguar at Parabolica, only to dive into the pits for his second stop, allowing Trulli to move to fourth ahead of Jenson Button.
"It is fantastic to get this great result in our home race, as everyone, the staff and the two test drivers are here in Monza," said a delighted Barrichello, who moved 17 points clear of Montoya in the standings. "It is a great way to pay them all back for their hard work."
A surprised Irvine completed the podium, bringing back memories of his days at Ferrari. "Whenever I was at Ferrari it was like podium, podium, podium," he said. "There's nothing like being away for a while. I think you appreciate them, especially here with the Italian crowd."
Trulli, Button, in what turned out to be Renault's strongest showing of the season, and Panis took the remaining points, with Coulthard finishing down in seventh on an afternoon where, like Williams, McLaren had nothing to celebrate and were left hoping for better days. With the gap to Ferrari and with only two races left, chances are that those days are not likely to come soon.
At the start of the parade lap Jarno Trulli's car fails to get away from the pre-grid and so Jarno has to start at the back of the field.
Lap 2: Ralf extends his lead over Montoya to 0.9 seconds. The order is unchanged at the front but Nick Heidfeld passes Villeneuve for 10th position. Further back Jenson Button passes Felipe Massa for 13th while at the tail of the field Alex Yoong gets ahead of Mark Webber for 18th place.
Lap 3: Ralf Schumacher sets the fastest lap but Barrichello goes even faster. Trulli overtakes Villeneuve to move to 11th place. Further back Webber retakes Yoong.
Lap 4: As the cars go across the start line Ralf Schumacher's BMW engine blows up. At the same time Barrichello gets a run on Montoya going into the first corner and takes the lead. This puts McNish up into sixth place. Further back Button overtakes Villeneuve to move to 12th.
Lap 6: Montoya goes wide and that allows Michael Schumacher to move to second place.
Lap 7: Barrichello's lead has increased to 5.8 seconds while Montoya falls back rapidly from Michael Schumacher. Panis overtakes Mika Salo to grab seventh position.
Lap 8: Michael Schumacher runs wide in the Lesmo corners and loses more time, allowing Barrichello's lead to go out to 7.5 seconds.
Lap 10: Barrichello's lead is 10 seconds and it is clear he is running a two-stop strategy. Towards the back of the field 16th placed Takuma Sato has a spin and falls behind the two Minardis but remains ahead of Coulthard.
Lap 12: McNish comes into the pits with a front suspension problem. He rejoins at the tail of the field but retires after one more exploratory lap. This promotes Panis to sixth place.
Lap 16: Barrichello laps the McLaren of David Coulthard.
Lap 17: Massa retires with a rear suspension failure, probably as the result of his brush with de la Rosa.
Lap 18: Heidfeld is the first man to stop. He drops from eighth place to 13th.
Lap 19: Barrichello pits and drops to second place behind Michael Schumacher. Sixth-placed Panis pits and falls back to 11th place.
Lap 21: Webber, running 12th, pulls off and retires with a mechanical problem.
Lap 22: Seventh-placed Trulli pits and drops back to 13th place. This promotes Jenson Button to seventh.
Lap 28: The mid-race pit stops start with Michael Schumacher and Irvine pitting. Michael rejoins in third, while Irvine falls behind Mika Salo. At the tail of the field Alex Yoong pits and stops but later rejoins many laps down for the run to the finish.
Lap 30: Montoya and Salo pit. Montoya falls behind Schumacher but Salo falls right back down to the order to rejoin in 12th. Fourth-placed Raikkonen retires with an engine failure.
Lap 33: Montoya comes into the pits and retires with a rear suspension. This promotes Irvine to third with Panis fourth, Giancarlo Fisichella fifth and Villeneuve sixth. Mika Salo pits for a drive-through penalty for having driven over the white line at the end of the pit lane. This drops Mika out of contention.
Lap 34: Villeneuve pits and drops back to 10th. Also pitting is Sato at the tail of the field.
Lap 36: Heidfeld is briefly sixth but stops for his second scheduled stop and so falls back to 10th.
Lap 37: The other two-stoppers come in with Barrichello rejoining just ahead of Michael Schumacher.. Fisichella and Coulthard (running fifth and sixth) also stop and fall back to seventh and ninth, being separated by Villeneuve. The order is Barrichello, Schumacher, Irvine, Panis, Trulli and Button. The rest of the field is lapped with Fisichella, Villeneuve Coulthard and Heidfeld completing the top 10.
Lap 39: Panis, who has still to stop, passes Irvine for third place.
Lap 41: Panis pits and falls from third to sixth.
Lap 42: Coulthard passes Villeneuve for eighth position.
Lap 47: Barrichello allows Panis, Fisichella and Coulthard to unlap themselves.
Lap 50: Villeneuve unlaps himself while Michael Schumacher closes up on Barrichello to create a Ferrari formation finish.
Lap 51: Villeneuve is overtaken by Coulthard for seventh place. On the same lap Heidfeld unlaps himself.
Lap 53: The Ferraris finish 1-2 with Irvine third. The average speed is 149.8mph, making it the third fastest F1 race of all time. Italy celebrates.
Following their record-breaking season, anything but a one-two victory in their homecoming and in front of thousands of passionate tifosi would have almost been a heartbreak for Ferrari and their followers. After seven consecutive victories out of the 12 they had scored before the Italian Grand Prix, the Italian squad were almost forced to put the icing on the cake at Monza in order to celebrate a much deserved party in front of a red sea of fans.
For once, teammate and World Champion Schumacher was, or was allowed to be, eclipsed by Barrichello during the race, the Brazilian lapping much faster than the German thanks to his strategy, especially during the first part of the event. The five-time champion drove a lonely race that in the end rewarded him with his 17th consecutive podium finish and further statistical success, as he broke his own record for the most number of points in a single season with 128.
Montoya stayed in the race for 34 laps before the suspension of his FW24 failed, but it was enough time to see that the Williams was no match for the Ferraris when it comes to race pace, let alone reliability. As it turned out, and after their most promising performance in some time, the Grove-based outfit left Italy with nothing to show for and with clear evidence that there is still a lot of work ahead of them to get close to Ferrari's league.
For McLaren, the Italian Grand Prix proved to be nearly as disappointing as for Williams, although the Woking-based squad were never in contention for the top spots. Kimi Raikkonen was once more their top man, eclipsing David Coulthard during most of the weekend, but the Finn again fell victim of the poor reliability of the silver cars. Coulthard touched the back of his teammate's car at the start and lost both his front wing and all chances of a good result, which played into the hands of his rivals, most notably Renault and especially Jarno Trulli.
Having been outqualified in Germany, Hungary, and Belgium by Williams teammate Ralf Schumacher, Montoya returned to the venue of his first and so far only Grand Prix win and with a superb flying lap with an average of 259.379 km/h, the Colombian secured his seventh pole of the season and his tenth in only 32 appearances. He knew, however, that his new record would not stand for long.
Only a last-minute effort and a little bit of luck on his side, allowed Schumacher to make it onto the front row, relegating his brother Ralf to third place. "To be honest, I am not surprised at the result," said the elder Schumacher after the session. "We are not quick enough in qualifying trim but we can be tomorrow in the race, when I think the lap times will be much closer."
Both men qualified behind Rubens Barrichello, who again had attracted all of Ferrari's bad luck. On Friday the Brazilian was sidelined by a brake problem, completing only two laps in the first session, and on Saturday he suffered an uncommon engine blow-up that forced his mechanics to fit the engine from his spare into his racing car for qualifying.
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:20.264 259.379 km/h 11
2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:20.521 + 0.257 12
3. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:20.542 + 0.278 11
4. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:20.706 + 0.442 12
5. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:21.606 + 1.342 11
6. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:21.712 + 1.448 10
7. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:21.803 + 1.539 11
8. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:21.960 + 1.696 12
9. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:22.126 + 1.862 11
10. Salo Toyota (M) 1:22.318 + 2.054 12
11. Trulli Renault (M) 1:22.383 + 2.119 11
12. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) 1:22.515 + 2.251 10
13. McNish Toyota (M) 1:22.521 + 2.257 10
14. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) 1:22.565 + 2.301 12
15. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:22.601 + 2.337 11
16. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:22.645 + 2.381 10
17. Button Renault (M) 1:22.714 + 2.450 11
18. Sato Jordan Honda (B) 1:23.166 + 2.902 10
19. Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:23.794 + 3.530 12
20. Yoong Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:25.111 + 4.847 12
Apart from Jarno Trulli having to take the start from the back of the grid due to a problem just before the formation lap, once the green lights went on everybody got moving. Juan Pablo Montoya was slow off the line, but he had no doubts when swerving to the right side of the track to stop Michael Schumacher from overtaking him. However, he was so busy trying to stop the Ferrari driver, that he forgot about Ralf, who from the second row flew past both car on the left side.
Ralf managed to open a slight gap on the first three laps, but by lap four the race stewards decided that the German had benefitted from cutting across the chicane at the start and he was asked to let Montoya through. Just as he was about to do so at the exit of Parabolica, his engine gave up, retiring at the end of the straight. Williams's hopes suffered another blow seconds after that, as Barrichello came out of Montoya's slipstream and overtook him before the first chicane.
Barrichello, lapping faster than anyone else, dived into the pits for the first time on lap 19 before rejoining the race in second place ahead of Montoya, who was lapping some two seconds slower than the Ferrari. Panis, also on a two-stopper, pitted next from sixth place.
The order remained unchanged for several laps, but Barrichello continued to lap much faster than Schumacher, opening a gap of up to 17 seconds before he began to ease off in order to have both Ferraris in the photo under the chequered flag. With five laps remaining Schumacher was 11 seconds adrift, and by the final lap the German was already right behind his teammate, both car crossing the finish line together to the joy of the Tifosi.
CLASSIFIED
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1h 16:19.982
2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 2.255
3. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 52.579
4. Trulli Renault (M) + 58.219
5. Button Renault (M) + 1:07.770
6. Panis BAR Honda (B) + 1:08.491
7. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) + 1:09.047
8. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) + 1:10.891
9. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) + 1:21.068
10. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 1:22.046
11. Salo Toyota (M) + 1 lap
12. Sato Jordan Honda (B) + 1 lap
13. Yoong Minardi Asiatech (M) + 6 laps
Fastest Lap: Barrichello, 1:23.657, lap 15
NOT CLASSIFIED / RETIREMENTS
Montoya Williams BMW (M) 34 Suspension
Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 30 Engine
Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 21 Mechanical
Massa Sauber Petronas (B) 17 Accident
de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 16 Accident
McNish Toyota (M) 14 Mechanical
R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 5 Engine
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING, ROUND 15:
Drivers: Constructors:
1. M.Schumacher 128 WC 1. Ferrari 189 CC
2. Barrichello 61 2. Williams-BMW 86
3. Montoya 44 3. McLaren-Mercedes 57
4. R.Schumacher 42 4. Renault 20
5. Coulthard 37 5. Sauber-Petronas 11
6. Raikkonen 20 6. Jaguar-Cosworth 8
7. Button 13 7. Jordan-Honda 7
8. Irvine 8 8. BAR 6
9. Heidfeld 7 9. Toyota 2
= Fisichella 7 = Arrows 2
= Trulli 7 = Minardi-Asiatech 2
12. Massa 4
13. Villeneuve 3
= Panis 3
15. Webber 2
= Salo 2
= Frentzen 2
Pos Driver Team Lap Time
1. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 15 1:23.657
2. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 25 1:24.242 + 0.585
3. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 52 1:24.962 + 1.305
4. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 25 1:25.094 + 1.437
5. Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 53 1:25.215 + 1.558
6. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 29 1:25.219 + 1.562
7. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 15 1:25.335 + 1.678
8. Trulli Renault (M) 48 1:25.368 + 1.711
9. Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 52 1:25.392 + 1.735
10. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 48 1:25.579 + 1.922
11. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 3 1:25.717 + 2.060
12. Button Renault (M) 49 1:25.849 + 2.192
13. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 44 1:25.867 + 2.210
14. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 46 1:25.883 + 2.226
15. Salo Toyota (M) 45 1:25.971 + 2.314
16. Webber Minardi-Asiatech (M) 19 1:27.104 + 3.447
17. McNish Toyota (M) 6 1:27.230 + 3.573
18. Yoong Minardi-Asiatech (M) 42 1:27.401 + 3.744
19. de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 15 1:27.600 + 3.943
20. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 12 1:27.770 + 4.113
Pos Driver Team Time Lap
1. Salo Toyota (M) 15.611 33
2. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 24.952 41
3. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 25.963 18
4. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 25.968 37
5. Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 26.009 36
6. Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 26.140 37
7. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 26.426 37
8. Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 26.927 35
9. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 27.334 19
10. Trulli Renault (M) 27.661 22
11. Button Renault (M) 27.710 24
12. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 27.945 34
13. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 27.979 19
14. Salo Toyota (M) 27.989 30
15. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 29.188 28
16. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 29.426 30
17. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 30.196 28
18. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (B) 36.835 1
19. McNish Toyota (M) 44.962 12
20. Yoong Minardi-Asiatech (M) 7:02.916 28
The Italian Grand Prix, Lap by Lap
Lap 1: At the start Juan Pablo Montoya makes a poor start while his team mate Ralf Schumacher gets away fast and as they go into the first corner the two Williams-BMW are side-by-side. Montoya goes very wide to give Ralf space to avoid any possibility of contact. Ralf takes the lead. Montoya is second with Rubens Barrichello emerging in third ahead of Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen. In the melee at the first corner David Coulthard collides with Pedro de la Rosa and loses his front wing. De la Rosa loses momentum and drops back to 15th place. At the end of the first lap Ralf Schumacher leads Montoya by half a second with Barrichello third, Schumacher M fourth, Raikkonen fifth and Eddie Irvine sixth. Seventh is Allan McNish who has a remarkable first lap to go from 13th on the grid to seventh place ahead of Mika Salo, a very fast-starting Olivier Panis (up from 16th on the grid) and Jacques Villeneuve. Trulli makes a very fast start and ends the first lap in 12th place. At the end of the lap Coulthard pits for a new front wing.
Lap 5: Barrichello sets the fastest lap and extends his lead to 3.2 seconds. Montoya is under pressure from Michael Schumacher for second place.
Lap 15: The gap at the front is up to almost 15 seconds while the order has calmed down a bit. Towards the back of the field de la Rosa collides with Felipe Massa while fighting for 12th place. De la Rosa pulls off with a puncture.
Lap 24: Button stops and rejoins ahead of Trulli.
Lap 46: The order has been settled for a while. Barrichello is taking it easy and Button is able to unlap himself.
Please Contact Us for permission to republish this or any other material from Atlas F1.
 Email to Friend
Review QuickLink:
Volume 8, Issue 38
Atlas F1 Exclusive
Interview with Richard Cregan
Articles
On the Right Track
Monza Madness
Ann Bradsaw: View from the Paddock
Italian GP Review
Italian GP Review
Italian GP - Technical Review
31 Years Ago...
Open Letter to Fujio Cho
Stats Center
Qualifying Differentials
SuperStats
Charts Center
Columns
Season Strokes
Elsewhere in Racing
The Grapevine
> Homepage |
