Rubens Barrichello won today’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza with his Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher right behind him in second place. Barrichello’s two-stop strategy and subsequently lighter fuel load for much of the race kept him just in front of Schumacher who only made one pit stop.
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rubens Barrichello (BR) | Ferrari | 10 |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher (D) | Ferrari | 6 |
| 3 | Eddie Irvine (GB) | Jaguar Cosworth | 4 |
| 4 | Jarno Trulli (I) | Renault | 3 |
| 5 | Jenson Button (GB) | Renault | 2 |
| 6 | Olivier Panis (FR) | BAR Honda | 1 |
| Fastest Qualifier: Juan Pablo Montoya (COL) | |||
Eddie Irvine scored his first podium finish for Jaguar this year in third place. Irvine drove a steady race but he was never in touch with the leaders and would never have seen the champagne had it not been for the unforeseen retirement of several usually reliable cars in front of him.
Jarno Trulli had a problem on the warm-up lap which dropped him to the back of the grid but he fought back and finished a credible fourth for Renault in front of his home fans. Trulli’s team mate Jenson Button finished fifth in the second Renault right in front of Olivier Panis in his BAR.
David Coulthard finished seventh having also had to fight his way through the field after a first lap collision with his McLaren team mate Kimi Raikkonen sent him to the pits for a new front wing.
Ralf Schumacher made a great start to take the lead from his Williams team mate Juan Pablo Montoya but retired with engine failure on the fourth lap. Montoya survived longer but eventually retired with suspension damage after clouting the one of the kerbs a little too hard.
Alex Yoong was the last classified finisher in 13th place on his first drive back with Minardi even though he was five laps down after pitting for repairs.
Once again there was no sign of the Arrows team this weekend but it looks like they may yet reappear as they have been given some time by the British bankruptcy court to get their affairs sorted out.