Sauber drivers Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella finished 13th and 15th respectively after today's first practice sessions for the Italian Grand Prix.

Giancarlo Fisichella: "I was struggling just a little bit as the car lost its balance on new tyres. The track was very dirty and on my last run the front tyres were past their best by Turn Four because of this, but we were consistent on long runs which is most important."

Felipe Massa: "The car was very good today, very consistent. I had a bit of traffic otherwise I could have gone a little faster on my best lap, but I'm happy. I've had good handling balance all day, and I'm feeling very optimistic for the race."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "It was another normal Friday practice for us. It is always difficult to make accurate assessments of performance after these initial sessions, but here it is particularly tricky because the gaps in the midfield are so small. However, I believe that we are well prepared for the race."