Friday April 12th, 2002
By Will Gray
Ferrari showed they were the masters of a rain-soaked Imola on Friday when German Michael Schumacher and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello claimed the fastest times in Friday practice for Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix.
World Champion Schumacher improved on his effort in the morning practice to set the fastest time of the day but an uncharacteristic mistake left him walking back to his Italian team's garage.
Schumacher lost control of the back end of his Ferrari as he exited the Variante Alta with three quarters of the session gone and spun several times before coming to a halt on the grass.
The World Champion carefully controlled the car and returned to the track but it stalled as he recovered and he was forced to abandon it at the side of the circuit.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was third fastest for Jordan-Honda, but he was more than one second slower than the two closely-matched Ferraris as 11 of the 22 drivers struggled with the conditions and had various incidents around the circuit.
McLaren-Mercedes star David Coulthard finished fourth fastest, just ahead of his new Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen, with the Arrows of German Heinz-Harald Frentzen completing the top six positions.
Italian Jarno Trulli was seventh fastest in his Renault, but he missed half the session after losing control of his R202 at the Variante Bassa and taking off his front wing when he crashed into the wall.
Brazilian Felipe Massa finished eighth fastest for Sauber, one place ahead of the Williams-BMW pairing of Juan Pablo Montoya in ninth and Ralf Schumacher in tenth, both of whom spun as they chased a top ten position.
Pos Driver Team Times
1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:36.898 183.273 km/h
2. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:37.094 + 0.196
3. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) 1:38.093 + 1.195
4. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:38.747 + 1.849
5. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:38.773 + 1.875
6. Frentzen Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:39.158 + 2.260
7. Trulli Renault (M) 1:39.204 + 2.306
8. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) 1:39.253 + 2.355
9. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:39.480 + 2.582
10. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:39.518 + 2.620
11. Sato Jordan Honda (B) 1:39.764 + 2.866
12. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:39.971 + 3.073
13. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:40.551 + 3.653
14. Button Renault (M) 1:40.601 + 3.703
15. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:40.787 + 3.889
16. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:40.809 + 3.911
17. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:41.565 + 4.667
18. Bernoldi Arrows Cosworth (B) 1:41.730 + 4.832
19. Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:41.969 + 5.071
20. Salo Toyota (M) 1:42.261 + 5.363
21. Yoong Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:43.986 + 7.088
22. McNish Toyota (M) 1:43.986 + 7.088
All Timing Unofficial
Published at 12:02:13 GMT