Several teams began testing today, at the Italian Monza circuit, in preparations for the Belgian Grand Prix next week at Spa. Testing began at 09:30, with the track damp due to overnight rain. It only began to dry out around noon, and only two hours later was it completely dry.
Very few drivers participated in the testings today, amongst them the two Ferrari drivers, who concentrated on set up tests for the Ferrari long wheelbase chassis. Schumacher, who was the only driver out on the damp track, was welcomed by thousands of tifosi who came to celebrate his win last Sunday in Hungary. McLaren's driver, David Coulthard, clocked the fastest time of the day.
Driver time laps David Coulthard (McLaren) 1.25.768 60 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1.26.695 54 Eddie Irvine (Ferrari) 1.27.282 25 Pedro de la Rosa (Jordan) 1.27.320 44