The first day of the Monza testing saw drivers from almost all Formula One teams participate (BAR and Minardi were absent). Ralf Schumacher topped the time sheets, only 0.120s ahead of Benetton's Giancarlo Fisicella, who suffered a heavy crash in the morning.
Ferrari's new-hired driver, Mika Salo, was not present at the test but rather was in Fiorano where he had a seat fitting for his new single-seater. Salo had his first run on the Fiorano track in the early evening. He did a total of 26 laps, with a best time of 1:04.541. Testing ended at 9:00pm. The Finn driver continues testing at Fiorano tomorrow.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. R.Schumacher Williams-Supertec 1:26.111 36
2. Fisichella Benetton-Playlife 1:26.231 62
3. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.276 57
4. Irvine Ferrari 1:26.293 58
5. Zanardi Williams-Supertec 1:26.767 75
6. Burti Stewart-Ford 1:26.780 66
7. Heidfeld Jordan-Mugen Honda 1:27.120 21
8. Alesi Sauber-Petronas 1:27.244 65
9. Sarrazin Prost-Peugeot 1:27.305 47
10. Redon Benetton-Playlife 1:28.426 26
11. de la Rosa Arrows-TWR 1:28.431 56
Weather: Air temp. 26°C, track 45°C, sunny