UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Qual: Kimi hands Montoya pole

McLaren one-two at Monza

McLaren were tipped to dominate qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix and the British team didn’t disappoint.

With a confident ease Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya destroyed their opposition to finish the session in first and second respectively.

However, despite the one-two result it will be Montoya on pole position and Raikkonen down in eleventh after the Finn was penalised for an earlier engine change.

Adding further insult to the Finn’s frustration is the fact that it will be his title-rival Fernando Alonso who now fills the second position on Monza’s front row.

The Renault ace challenged Montoya hard only to drop two tenths in the final sector and finish the session in third.

McLaren remain confident though that Raikkonen can still take the chequer on Sunday.

“We're at least a second a lap quicker than anyone,” Ron Dennis, McLaren team chief, told ITV after the session.

“Kimi can win. The drivers are very much focused in team performance.”

“You will see the performance of two strong team mates tomorrow.”

BAR will also be confident of mounting a challenge for the podium after Jenson Button and Takuma Sato secured the team fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Sixth was the Toyota of Jarno Trull, followed by the two Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

Schumacher in particular looked more comfortable after struggling in the earlier qualifying runs.

Barrichello certainly had an improved car but still struggled to some degree after dropping a wheel in the dirt at Lesmo Two.

The Brazilian was in good company with his mistake, Giancarlo Fisichella (ninth) was also off the road through Lesmo as was the Minardi of Christijan Albers (20th).

Ralf Schumacher managed to keep his Toyota on the tarmac but suffered from a serious lack of pace.

The German, who has struggled at his new home in 2005, finished tenth fastest and some seven tenths off his sixth-placed teammate Trulli.

Fellow veterans David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing) and Jacques Villeneuve (Sauber) had more luck in 11th and 12th respectively.

Both men put in one of their better performances of the year to comfortably account for their quick young counterparts.

In the battle down the bottom Jordan took the honours with Tiago Monteiro putting the all-new EJ15B in P18.

However, the British squad’s performance wasn’t entirely convincing with the Minardi of Robert Doornbos just two tenths down on Monteiro and almost a second ahead of Narain Karthikeyan (19th).

With the paddock’s attention now turning to Sunday, the question is can Raikkonen win from eleventh on the grid.

Ron Dennis, in his previously mentioned comments, certainly thinks so. Montoya on the other hand appears to be gunning for his own victory and said it was the constructors’ race that mattered.

Raikkonen himself was coy on his victory chances, simply saying: “we’ll see what happens at turn one”.

Written: Sat, 03 Sep 2005 11:54:43