of a multi-car accident on the first lap. Coulthard claimed that the new corner would make braking more difficult and was concerned over the number of penalties issued to other competitors. However, Michael Schumacher believed his and other teams would be less concerned with suspension damage. Jean Alesi of Prost who was the first driver to test the new circuit, said that it would be easier for drivers to pull off the track in the event of a technical issue. Following the on 27 August, the teams conducted a four-day testing session at Monza and concentrated on optimising their car set-ups for low downforce. Arrows' Jos Verstappen set the quickest times on the first day, ahead of Sauber's Pedro Diniz. Coulthard was quickest on the second day. Benetton driver Giancarlo Fisichella crashed at high speed into the Ascari chicane, bringing a brief halt to testing. He visited Rome to undergo a medical examination and was diagnosed with an inflamed tendon in his right ankle, but was cleared to race having been advised to take five days of rest. Jacques Villeneuve set the quickest times on the third day for BAR as rain shortened the team's running. Minardi's Gastón Mazzacane had a high speed accident at the Ascari chicane, forcing testing to be stopped. Ralf Schumacher was fastest on testing's fourth and final day. Michael Schumacher's car developed a malfunction and pulled off the race track, limiting Ferrari's testing time as the car's power unit was changed. Practice There were four practice sessions that preceded Sunday's race—two one-hour sessions on Friday, and two 45-minute sessions on Saturday. Drivers piloted their cars on a hot track surface and in dry conditions. Barrichello set the first session's fastest time on Friday morning with a lap of 1 minute and 25.057 seconds that he set with ten minutes of the session remaining on his final timed lap. He was three-tenths of a second ahead of Jordan's Jarno Trulli in second position. Michael Schumacher was one-tenth of a second off Trulli's pace in third, while Coulthard set the fourth fastest time. The two Arrows drivers were fifth and sixth fastest; Pedro de la Rosa ahead of Jos Verstappen. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Fisichella, Villeneuve and Benetton's Alexander Wurz rounded out the top ten fastest drivers of the session. Some drivers ran wide onto the Rettifilo chicane at least once during the session. Häkkinen set no timed lap