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As has now become tradition, the home Grand Prix of Ferrari brought out the usual 4-litre qualifying engine jokes, so confident was everyone that the front row would be an all-red lock-out. It came as a surprise therefore to see the two BMW-engined Williams run so well during qualifying with an up-dated engine that was said to rev to over 19,000rpm. In fact, it was only a tremendous effort from Michael Schumacher that prevented both Williams from starting at the front. In the event Pablo Montoya scored the seventh pole position of his career but Ralf was forced back into sharing the second row with Rubens Barrichello. Another surprise was the good performance of the Jaguars with Irvine in sixth and de la Rosa in eighth. The low-downforce Monza circuit was probably forgiving to the Jags troublesome aerodynamics and the Cosworth engine has never been short of horsepower. The start saw the two Williams drivers nearly eliminate themselves at the first chicane. Montoya, on the inside for the right-hander, slid wide and Ralf was forced to cut the next left-hand corner in order to avoid contact. He therefore emerged as the surprised leader but surely the FIA would apply a penalty? They did but In the event it didn't matter because the BMW engine blew up spectacularly on the fourth lap and in the ensuing confusion first Barrichello slipped by Montoya and in a couple of laps later so did Michael Schumacher. The Ferraris were now first and second and, as has become the norm, disappeared into the distance. Running a much lighter fuel load commensurate with a two-stop strategy, Rubens was the quicker of the two and Michael settled down to a suitable pace which would maintain his position with just one fuel stop planned. And so the race ran its course with not a lot of remaining excitement. As Rubens came out of the pits after his second stop Michael judged the gap to perfection and slotted in just behind and the two ran like that to the finish. First Schumacher and then Barrichello severely reduced their pace and cruised around some three to four seconds slower than earlier in the race in order to preserve their reliability. Montoya had, in the meantime, retired with suspension failure following yet another trip off the track. Raikkonen had to endure another blown Ilmore engine in his McLaren and Coulthard was not seen all day long, having had to stop for a new nose at the end of the first lap. Irvine finished in a season-best third place for the Jaguar team, followed by the two Renaults of Trulli and Button, who, having started 11th and 17th on the grid, were probably not expecting any points at all. Olivier Panis took the final point home after again out-shining his multi-million dollar team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. On the excitement stakes it rated pretty poorly but at least the tifosi went home having seen another dream result. Barrichello is now 17 points clear of the only other driver who could catch him for second place in the Championship - Montoya, and with two races to go it seems most likely that both the World Champion and Vice World Champion will come from the Ferrari team. Jean Todt: " We had chosen different strategies for the two drivers in order to be able to tackle any situation created by our opponents. Everything worked well. The drivers put in an incredible performance and the team worked in a fantastic way to bring home a result which is all the greater because it was achieved in front of our fans and the staff of the Ferrari-Maserati Group. We have shown we are an exceptional team which still works with extraordinary motivation." Rubens Barrichello: “ I was a bit confused about how I got the lead. I saw Ralf slow down and I dived inside him. Then I slipstreamed Montoya and got past him too. It was the perfect lap and the car was just getting better all the time so I was able to push hard. I think two stops was the way to go today. I want to thank everyone especially the test team and also Bridgestone, who did a great job to bring such a good tyre for this weekend after last week’s test. As we are at home, I guess we will have a big party tonight." Michael Schumacher : "Before this weekend, I did not want to think about the possibility of this result, because we have already done so much this year. But the one-two finish was the ideal dream result. It was a perfect day for all of us. I am aware that today I have another record, for the most number of points in one season, but it does not mean that much, given that the record was already mine. After the start, I had a few problems, but the second stint went well. Then, after Rubens’ second stop, we slowed the pace a bit to spare the car and get to the finish.“ RACE RESULTS Italian GP 53 laps. Weather: dry, warm Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1h16:19.982 2. M. Schumacher Ferrari (B) + 0:02.255 3. Irvine Jaguar (M) + 0:52.579 4. Trulli Renault (M) + 0:58.219 5. Button Renault (M) + 1:07.770 6. Panis BAR (B) + 1:08.491 7. Coulthard McLaren (M) + 1:09.047 8. Fisichella Jordan (B) + 1:10.891 9. Villeneuve BAR (B) + 1:21.068 10. Heidfeld Sauber (B) + 1:22.046 11. Salo Toyota (M) + 1 Lap 12. Sato Jordan (B) + 1 Lap World Championship Standing, Round 15: Drivers: Constructors: 1. M.Schumacher 128 1. Ferrari 189 2. Barrichello 61 2. Williams 86 3. Montoya 44 3. McLaren 57 4. R.Schumacher 42 4. Renault 20 5. Coulthard 37 5. Sauber 11 6. Raikkonen 20 6. Jaguar 8 7. Button 13 7. Jordan 7 8. Irvine 8 8. BAR 6 9. Fisichella 7 =9. Minardi 2 = 9. Trulli 7 =9. Toyota 2 = 9. Heidfeld 7 =9. Arrows 2 12. Massa 4 13. Villeneuve 3 =13. Panis 3 =14. Frentzen 2 =14. Salo 2 =14. Webber 2 Click here to return to the Ferrari Happenings page.
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