WilliamsF1 improves in opening Saturday practice

By Andrew Hooper
September 14 2002

Italian GP Saturday 1st Practice
After the opening Saturday practice both BMW WilliamsF1 drivers would improve their positions from Friday, with Juan Pablo setting the second faster time and Ralf fifth.

Juan Pablo MontoyaFor Juan Pablo his time would be very close to that of Michael Schumacher who set the fastest lap so far. During the session both drivers would try new rubber, with the team would lowering Juan Pablo's car and taking off some wing. The teams Michelin tyres performed well during the session.

Again it would be Michael Schumacher who was the fastest in practice this morning at Monza. But his margin was smaller than that of Friday. Michael finished with a 1m:22.110 but Juan Pablo was only two hundredths of a second behind.

The session would be red flagged when the engine of Rubens Barrichello blew up leaving the car in a difficult position. Rubens would complete just four laps and could only set a best time of 1m:26.095, putting him in 19th.

In third and fourth were the McLaren's of David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen, ahead of Ralf, and the Jaguars of Irvine and de la Rosa were sixth and seventh. The Jaguar team certainly has made improvements for this race.

Sauber’s Felipe Massa finished eighth with a 1m:23.475, ahead of Toyota's Allan McNish. BAR's Jacques Villeneuve was tenth, followed by Jarno Trulli, Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, and Jordan’s Giancarlo Fisichella.

Toyota's Mika Salo was fourteenth, heading Renault’s Jenson Button, Olivier Panis, Takuma Sato, and Mark Webber. Webber would have an off track moment but was able to re-join the track and return to the pits. Team-mate Alex Yoong was last.

Driver Team (Tyres) Time Gap Laps

01. M Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:22.110 13
02. JP Montoya BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:22.135 0.025 12
03. D Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:22.663 0.553 12
04. K Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:22.899 0.789 17
05. R Schumacher BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:22.938 0.828 13
06. E Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:23.037 0.927 11
07. P de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:23.444 1.334 13
08. F Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:23.475 1.365 15
09. A McNish Toyota (M) 1:23.621 1.511 13
10. J Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 1:23.668 1.558 13
11. J Trulli Renault (M) 1:23.712 1.602 13
12. N Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:23.746 1.636 13
13. G Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 1:23.777 1.667 16
14. M Salo Toyota (M) 1:23.823 1.713 12
15. J Button Renault (M) 1:24.204 2.094 13
16. O Panis BAR-Honda (B) 1:24.325 2.215 15
17. T Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 1:24.344 2.234 16
18. M Webber Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:25.292 3.182 16
19. R Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:26.095 3.985 04
20. A Yoong Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:26.112 4.002 17
 
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