WilliamsF1 completes day one of Monza Test

The test session is aimed at testing general setups for the Monza track plus tyre development work for Michelin. But the test was delayed while the team waited for  thunderstorms to clear the circuit.

It was not until the afternoon that the WilliamsF1 drivers were able to conduct any testing on a drying circuit. Gene would complete twenty one laps, while Ralf completed sixteen. Of the eleven drivers present Marc would finish third with a best lap of 1m:25.227. Ralf would set a best time of 1m:26.071 minutes to finish in fifth.

Ralf would have problems during the day been let down by his car twice, once with a mechanical problem and later on when a BMW engine blew up.

Tim Newton, WilliamsF1 Test Team Manager, commented on the days testing: “We begun an important test today in Monza. Heavy rain started before lunch so we decided to split the session to get a clear understanding of the relative performances, therefore the afternoon wet session has a separate time sheet. A systematic set-up preparation for Monza using the race chassis.”

Of the other drivers present it would be Ferrari's Michael Schumacher who was  quickest ahead of BAR test driver Anthony Davidson. Fourth was Sauber's Nick Heidfeld who was much happier with the way things went after the teams poor performance at the Belgian GP. Sixth was taken by Patrick Lemarie driving for BAR.

In seventh and eighth were the Renault pair of Button and Trulli. Trulli would cause red flags when he stalled on the track. Renault's Technical Director Mike Gascoyne commented: "The drivers both managed to complete an aero evaluation in the morning, while the afternoon saw them get their first taste of Michelin's latest generation of wet-weather tyres."

At Toyota, youngsters Briscoe and Sarrazin where at the wheel. Briscoe was reasonably happy with ending up in ninth: "All in all though it was productive session and I am quite happy."