02/09/2005
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's first free practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where the air temperature is 29 degrees C, and the track temperature is 31 degrees. It's overcast but dry.
As the lights go green, Nicolas Kiesa leads Ricardo Zonta, Pedro de la Rosa and Tonio Liuzzi out on to the track.
Doornbos, Toccacelo and Villeneuve are also keen to get to work.
Having completed the obligatory installation lap, the drivers return to their garages, as Albers, Monteiro, Raikkonen, Sato and Button test the waters.
Seven minutes into the session, Zonta is back on track and looks likely to be the first driver to post a time. Sure enough, the Brazilian crosses the line at 1:26.177, game on!
Next time around, the Toyota test driver improves to 1:24.524, as Kiesa and de la Rosa return to the track. Elsewhere, Coulthard, Massa and Montoya complete their installation laps.
Zonta improves again (23.685), but is demoted to second by de la Rosa, who posts 1:22.875. The Spaniard goes even quicker (22.275) as the Brazilian also improves (23.548). Kiesa is third quickest (26.729) ahead of Liuzzi (28.006) and Toccacelo (31.045).
As Klien leaves the pits, de la Rosa raises the benchmark with a 1:22.122.
Liuzzi appears to be on a hot lap, the Italian really riding the kerbs. However, he pulls into the pits and fails to post a time.
Alonso gets into his car as Kiesa improves with a 1:26.506.
Twenty-three minutes into the session, the World Championship leader leaves his garage, the air horns greet him at the first chicane, he is clearly popular here. Elsewhere, Zonta is back on track, the Brazilian really pushing and riding the unforgiving Monza kerbs. Perhaps he was pushing too hard, he fails to improve.
His installation lap completed, Alonso returns to his garage.
Karthikeyan goes third (26.430), however, attention will be on Monteiro, who is driving the EJ15B.
Fisichella leaves the pits as Monteiro goers third (26.025), that's 0.4s faster than Karthikeyan in the 'old' car.
Albers goes fourth (26.285) as de la Rosa goes quickest in the first sector. The Spaniard fails to improve, but Karthikeyan doesn't he goes third with a 1:25.611.
With 25 minutes remaining, it's de la Rosa, ahead of Zonta, Liuzzi, Karthikeyan, Monteiro, Albers, Kiesa and Toccacelo. The Ferraris, WilliamsF1s and Toyotas haven't been out yet, other than Zonta in the third Toyota.
Doornbos goes ninth (27.226), as Toccacelo fails to improve, though the Italian is pushing hard. Next time around, Doornbos improves to seventh (26.504).
In the pits, Jean Todt looks weary, perhaps a Ferrari revival is not on the cards this weekend.
With nineteen minutes remaining, the Ferrari garage is a hive of activity as Michael Schumacher prepares to climb into his car. Dozens of photographers snap away at the reigning World Champion.
Back on track, Takuma Sato goes second (23.072), as Alonso leaves the Renault garage.
Next time around Sato improves, but so does Zonta, who retakes second spot.
As Monteiro goes fourth (25.134), Sato continues around, the Japanese driver using every available bit of track. He improves again (22.692) but remains third. Meanwhile, de la Rosa is back on track.
The Spaniard goes quickest in the first and second sectors, crossing the line at 1:20.792, that's almost 1.8s quicker than Zonta, and only 0.7s off last year's pole time.
Next time around the McLaren tester improves to 1:20.201, Todt looks even more weary.
Fisichella is back on track, as Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli finally leave the Toyota garage. Elsewhere, Liuzzi improves to fourth (25.042).
With less than nine minutes remaining, Michael Schumacher finally leaves his garage and heads off down the pitlane. The air-horns greet him at the first chicane.
Still no sign of Barrichello or the two WilliamsF1 drivers, however, Montoya is on track, as is Raikkonen.
Schumacher continues around but gets it wrong at the first chicane, out-braking himself, and has to wind his way through the bollards. Nonetheless, he continues around to begin another lap.
Montoya goes third (22.078), 1.87s off de la Rosa's time, as Raikkonen goes third (22.555). Schumacher can only manage 1:28.424.
Heidfeld, Webber and Barrichello are all on track, with just three minutes remaining.
As Raikkonen improves to second (21.842), he finds himself in a real wheel to wheel battle with Schumacher, as the German improves with a 1:23.739, to go eighth. It's like they were actually racing.
Mark Webber goes second with a 1:21.816) as teammate Heidfeld goes fifth (22.351). Meanwhile, Button is on track and clearly on a hot lap, however, he aborts it and returns to the pits, having failed to post a time.
The session ends with de la Rosa quickest, ahead of Webber, Raikkonen, Montoya, Heidfeld, Zonta, Sato, Michael, Coulthard and Liuzzi.
Eight drivers, including Villeneuve, Button, Alonso, Fisichella, Trulli and Ralf, failed to post a time.