Thursday May 31st, 2001

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya and Finn Kimi Raikkonen were the only two drivers present on Thursday at the Monza circuit in Italy, where Williams and Sauber worked for the second consecutive day preparing for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.

The Williams driver benefited for the lower temperatures during the afternoon session to post the fastest time of the day with a best lap on 1:24.677, more than a second faster than Raikkonen at the wheel of the Sauber.

Montoya completed 54 laps today, while Raikkonen, fastest on Wednesday, did 45 laps. The young Finn worked on aerodynamic set-up for Canada and his progress was hampered by transmission problems, but Raikkonen admitted he was pleased with his car's handling.

"I was very happy today because the car felt very good," said Raikkonen. "We got through our planned programme this morning and I was particularly impressed with the set-up that we developed. It was a shame the transmission problem stopped us so early this afternoon, because I was really enjoying myself."

Testing at Monza will conclude on Friday.

Today's times:

Pos  Driver        Team-Engine         Tyres  Time   
 1.  Montoya       Williams-BMW        (M)    1:24.677
 2.  Raikkonen     Sauber-Petronas     (B)    1:26.003

All Timing Unofficial