11/09/2004
NEWS STORY
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Ahead of today's pre-qualifying session, the air temperature is 26 degrees C, while the track temperature is 35 degrees.
The cars will run in order in which they finished the previous Grand Prix, which means that first out is Kimi Raikkonen, followed by world champion Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. Last out will be Giorgio Pantano, who crashed into Zsolt Baumgartner in this morning's second session.
At 13:00 precisely, Raikkonen drives out of the McLaren garage and begins his 'out' lap. At the first split the Finn posts 26s, followed by a 27.6 at the second. At the line the McLaren driver registers 1:20.501, the fastest lap of the weekend, thus far.
Michael Schumacher is greeted by the sounds of thousands of air-horns, the Tifosi greets its hero. At the first split the German posts 26.1, he's down on Raikkonen. At the second split it's 27.5, he's now quicker than the Finn. At the line it's 1:20.528, he's 0.027s slower than Raikkonen.
At the first split, Rubens Barrichello posts 26.2, followed by a 27.5 at the second. Like Schumacher, Barrichello is quickest in this middle sector. At the line it's 1:20.552, which puts him third. Nonetheless, the top three are covered by just 0.051s.
Felipe Massa is next out. At the first split the Brazilian registers 26.1, he's off the pace but it's marginal. At the second split the Sauber driver clocks 27.5, followed by a 1:20.571 at the line. At 226.18 mph, he's also quickest through the speed-trap.
Teammate Giancarlo Fisichella is next out. At the first split the Italian posts 26s, he's only marginally off Raikkonen's time. He's quickest of all in the second sector, the Renault bound driver posting 27.4s. At the line it's 1:20.357, he's quickest by 0.144s.
Spa sensation Christian Klien is next out, he's been looking good this weekend. At the first split the Austrian posts 26.6, he's already half-a-second off the pace. At the second split it's 28.1 as he continues to lose time. At the line it's 1:22.757, which puts him sixth.
David Coulthard is next out, what can he do? At the first split the Scot registers 26s, he's quickest off all. At the second split he's still quickest, registering 27.4. At the line it's 1:20.414, he goes second, having lost vital time in the final sector.
Olivier Panis, who retires from racing at the end of the season, is next out, he was last of the point scorers in Belgium. At the first split it's a disappointing 26.6s, followed by 27.9s at the second. At the line it's 1:22.169, which puts him behind Klien. The Toyota clearly lacks straight-line speed.
Spa pole-man Jarno Trulli is next out in the Renault. He's quickest in the first sector, posting a staggering 25.8s. He loses ground in the second sector, crossing the beam at 27.7. At the line it's 1:21.011, which puts him seventh, albeit 0.654s off Fisichella's pace.
Ricardo Zonta posts a 26.4 at the first split, which at least puts him ahead of Panis. At the second split it's 27.9, around the same as his teammate. At the line it's 1:21.829, which puts him eighth, ahead of Klien and Panis.
Nick Heidfeld has had a troubled weekend, as has teammate Pantano, what can he do now? His Monza nightmare continues, his car clearly has a problem, he continues but very, very slowly.
As Heidfeld returns to the pits, having failed to post a time, Juan Pablo Montoya begins his 'flying' lap. The Colombian completes the first sector in 26s, then goes on to complete the second sector in 27s, the fastest so far. At the line it's 1:19.525, which puts Juan Pablo quickest, and maintains his record as the fastest driver in F1 history.
Teammate Antonio Pizzonia is next out, he too has been looking good this weekend. At the first split the Brazilian is quickest, posting a 25.7. He loses time in the second sector, breaking the timing beam at 27.2s. At the line it's 1:19.671, as he joins his teammate at the top of the timesheets, albeit 0.146s off the Colombian's pace.
Jenson Button is next out. The Englishman is already 0.2s off the pace by the time he reaches the first split. He loses time in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 1:19.856, to go third.
Zsolt Baumgartner is next out in the Minardi. Unsurprisingly, he's slowest, posting 27s at the first split. At the second split it's 29.1 followed by a 1:25.082 at the line.
Fernando Alonso is on track, he could do with a good result this weekend. At the first split the Spaniard goes quickest, posting 25.7. He loses time in the second sector and can only manage 27.6, going on to cross the finish line at 1:20.341, which puts him fourth.
Mark Webber is next, he hasn't been having the best of weekends. At the first split the Australian posts 26.5, marginally better than his teammate. At the second split it's 27.8, followed by a 1:21.783 at the line. Like the Toyotas, the Jaguars are struggling to find straight-line speed.
Takuma Sato is man who enjoys this track, what can he do? At the first split it's 25.9, he's only marginally off the pace. He's still looking good at the second split, going on to cross the line at 1:19.733, which puts him third, ahead of his teammate.
Gianmaria Bruni is next out, his target is his teammate's 1:25.082. At the first split it's 26.9, he's marginally ahead of Baumgartner. At the second split it's 28.7 followed by a 1:23.963 at the line.
Last out is Giorgio Pantano, who crashed into Zsolt Baumgartner this morning. At the first split the Italian posts 26.6, followed by a 28.6s at the second. At the line it's 1:23.264, which puts Giorgio ahead of the two Minardis.
Therefore the order, at the end of pre-qualifying, is: Montoya ahead of Pizzonia, Sato, Button, Alonso, Fisichella, Coulthard, Raikkonen, Schumacher and Barrichello.
Ahead of today's main qualifying session, the air temperature remains at 26 degrees C, while the track temperature has risen slightly to 36.
Nick Heidfeld is first out, the Jordan crew working flat out to get the German's gearbox fixed, following the failure that prevented him posting a time in pre-qualifying.
At the first split the Jordan driver posts 26.682, followed by a 54.736s at the second. At the line Heidfeld posts 1:22.301, which under the circumstances isn't too shabby. That said, they've changed his engine, which means that he forfeits ten places on the grid.
Next out is Zsolt Baumgartner, who has been having a torrid time recently. He gets it wrong at the first chicane and consequently posts 26.860s. At the second split it's 56.056, he's already 1.3s down on Heidfeld. At the line it's 1:24.808, which is better than he did in pre-qualifying, despite the mistake.
At the first split Gianmaria Bruni posts 27.127, he down on his teammate. At the second split the Italian clocks 56.236, he's 1.500 down on Heidfeld. At the line it's 1:24.940, which puts him third, behind his teammate.
Next out is Giorgio Pantano in the second Jordan. At the first split the Italian posts 26.619, he's up on his teammate, but it's marginal. At the second split it's 55.090, he's now 0.354s down on the German. At the line it's 1:23.239, which puts him second, albeit almost a second down on Heidfeld.
Olivier Panis is next out, the Frenchman unhappy with his tyres this weekend. At the first split it's 26.569, he's 0.113s up on Heidfeld. At the second split the Toyota driver posts 54.359, he's still up on the German. At the line it's 1:21.841, provisional pole for the French veteran.
Christian Klien takes to the track in the Jaguar as the stewards announce that they are investigating Baumgartner's time, he cut the first chicane.
At the first split Klien posts 26.612, followed by a 54.612 at the second. His Spa result has definitely given him a confidence boost, just when he needed it. At the line it's 1:21.989, which puts him second.
Ricardo Zonta is next out, can he out-qualify his teammate? At the first split it's 26.489, he's 0.080s up on Panis. At the second split it's 54.235, he's now 0.124s up on the Frenchman. At the line it's 1:21.520, which gives him provisional pole. The Brazilian was quickest in all three sectors.
At the first split Mark Webber posts 26.560, he's down on Zonta but it's marginal. At the second split the Australian posts 54.459, he's now 0.224s down on the Toyota driver. At the line it's 1:21.602, which puts him second. He was quickest of all in the final sector.
Spa pole-ma Jarno Trulli is next out. At the first split the Italian posts 26.006, he's 0.483s up on Zonta. It's in the second sector that the Renault's are losing out, however Jarno posts 53.637, maintains his advantage. At the line it's 1:21.027, which gives him provisional pole. However, we still have the 'big guns' to come.
Felipe Massa is next out. At the first split the Brazilian posts 26.995, having lost a heap of time at the first chicane. At the second split it's 54.945, he's lost more time. At the line Felipe posts 1:22.287, which puts him sixth, he'll be disappointed with that.
At the second break, the order is: Trulli, Zonta, Webber, Panis, Klien, Massa, Heidfeld, Pantano, Baumgartner and Bruni.
Rubens Barrichello is next out, the Brazilian won here a couple of years back and would dearly love to do it again. At the first split the Ferrari driver posts 26.017, which puts him 0.011s down on Trulli. At the second split it's 53.167, he's now 0.4s up on the Italian. At the line it's 1:20.089, the first man to break into the 1:20s in this session. A very impressive lap from the Brazilian.
His teammate is next out. At the first split the German posts 25.927, he's 0.090s up on his teammate. He's pushing hard, subsequently posting 53.290s at the second split, he's lost a little time. He goes deep in the Parabolica and appears to lose ground, at the line it's 1:20.637, he second, 0.548s down on his teammate Brazilian.
Kimi Raikkonen is next out. The Finn completes the first sector in 25.964, he's 0.053s up on Barrichello. The McLaren looks good as the spa winner completes the second sector half-a-second down on Barrichello. At the line it's 1:20.877, which puts him third, behind the two Ferraris.
Teammate David Coulthard is next out. At the first split the Scot posts 26.053, he's 0.036s down on pole-man Barrichello. At the second split he's still in touch with the Ferrari. At the line it's 1:21.049, which put him fifth, he lost a lot of time in that final sector.
Giancarlo Fisichella begins his lap. At the first split the Italian posts 26.350, he's 0.333s down on the Ferrari. At the second split the Sauber driver posts 54.631, he's now 1.4s down on Barrichello, he lost a lot of time there. At the line it's 1:22.239, which puts him tenth.
At the final break it's Barrichello, Schumacher, Raikkonen, Trulli, Coulthard, Zonta, Webber, Panis, Klien and Fisichella.
Next out is Fernando Alonso. At the first split the Spaniard posts 26.094, he's 0.077s down on the Ferrari. At the second split Fernando posts 53.686, he's lost half-a-second. At the line it's 1:20.645, which puts him third ahead of Raikkonen.
Jenson Button is next out. At the first split the Englishman posts 26.158, he's 0.141s off the pace. At the second split the BAR driver posts 53.707, he's now half-a-second down on Rubens. At the line it's 1:20.786, which puts him fourth.
Takuma Sato is next out, can he out-qualify his teammate? At the first split the Japanese driver posts 26.239, he's 0.222s down on Barrichello. At the second split it's 53.669, he's now 0.502s down on the Ferrari. At the line the BAR star posts 1:20.715, which bumps Button down to fifth.
Antonio Pizzonia is next out, the Brazilian still looking for a race seat for 2005. At the first split the WilliamsF1 driver posts 26.035, he's 0.018s down on Barrichello. At the second split it's 53.881, he's lost a whole load of time. At the line it's 1:20.888, which puts him a very disappointing seventh.
Last up in Juan Pablo Montoya. At the first split the Colombian posts 25.987, he's 0.030s up on Rubens. However it's in the crucial second sector where everyone - other than the Ferraris - appears to be losing ground He loses time, crossing the beam at 0.489s down on Barrichello. At the line it's 1:20.620, he takes second, splitting the two Ferraris.
The Tifosi will be preparing to party tomorrow, following successive races where Ferrari and Schumacher have wrapped up the constructors' and drivers' titles. However, there are quite a few 'spoilsports' who want to spoil that party, not least Juan Pablo Montoya.
In 2001, the Colombian took his first F1 win at this track, and in a year totally dominated by his arch-rival Schumacher, it will be tempting to beat the German and his team on home ground.
The big question mark over tomorrow's race is the weather, with forecasters still predicting rain. If this proves to be the case, then we are in for another lottery of a race.
However if things stay as they are (dry) we could be in for an interesting race. Certainly the run to the first corner will be fascinating. The main straight at Monza is one of the widest on the F1 calendar, and Schumacher, Montoya, Alonso and Sato are sure to make full use of it.
The top nine drivers are covered by 0.960s, though that doesn't mean that much here, as in recent years we've witnessed quite a few high-speed 'trains' running lap after lap covered by just a few seconds.
After its success at Spa, it's back down to earth with a bump for McLaren, Raikkonen and Coulthard finishing seventh and tenth, while Pizzonia will be bitterly disappointed with his lap.
However, full credit to Rubens Barrichello who delivered when it mattered most. He's suffered more than his fair share of criticism this year, as he dutifully supports his teammate, it would be good to think that the Brazilian is finally going to enjoy his moment in the sun.
He won here in 2002, can he do it again tomorrow?