monza

McLaren-Mercedes’s Juan Pablo Montoya admitted that concerns over the tyres at the Italian Grand Prix had been playing on his mind as he took victory at Monza. Teammate Kimi Raikkonen was fighting his way through the field when he was called into the pits to change a heavily blistered rear tyre.

Juan Pablo Montoya won the Italian Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday and Renault’s Fernando Alonso finished second to maintain the inside track on the season championship. Alonso’s teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, was third and McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth for the most impressive performance of the day.

World champion Michael Schumacher warned his Ferrari team’s loyal Tifosi fans in Monza on Saturday not to expect a miracle podium performance from him in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher looked a shadow of his seven-time title-winning self when he settled for seventh in qualifying on Saturday.

Championship challenger Kimi Raikkonen said in Monza on Friday that he will ignore the performances of title race leader Fernando Alonso and concentrate on winning the remaining five races of the season. Raikkonen knows nothing less than victory will do if he wants to close down the 24-point gap to Spaniard Alonso quickly.