Although he was glad to have brought home six valuable points to help Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro close the gap to the leaders in the Constructors’ Championship, Rubens Barrichello admitted that, as a race, the Italian Grand Prix had been a rather dull affair. 'The race for me was a bit boring apart from a few exciting moments towards the end when Kimi was putting me under a bit of pressure and it got a bit harder,' said the Brazilian. 'I had a great first stint, my tyres were working really well and I was able to push hard. But I had lost time with Trulli on the first lap. It was a shame, because with Michael and Montoya running side by side, it would have been a good time to try and get past both of them. But despite that I almost caught Montoya during his first pit stop. Then for the second stint, the tyres did not behave the way I wanted and I basically lost speed because of that.'

Everyone in the Scuderia was aware of the importance of the Monza event after a run of bad luck. 'You could feel there was a lot of tension in the Ferrari camp over the weekend,' admitted Rubens. 'So it was good to finish on a high at the home race. Of course it was an excellent result for Michael for the championship. For my part, having finished in the wall the last couple of times, it was nice to be back on the podium, after winning there last year. The rest of the championship will be very intense, just as we had expected. Now we just have to concentrate on the last two races and keep on trying.' Although the team starts testing today, Barrichello will not be taking part. 'Actually, I decided to stop off in London for some early Christmas shopping!' he joked. 'No, the truth of the situation is that my back, which I hurt in Hungary, was much better in Monza. However, along with the team we have taken the decision that it is not worth it for me to risk aggravating my back again, so I will sit out this weeks testing. I am heading home to Brazil to rest and have some more treatment. It is just a precautionary measure. The team has enough drivers to do the test without me and I don’t feel it will affect my prospects for the final two races.'

One of the main talking points in the Monza paddock was the arrival of the 2004 F1 calendar, which features 17 races and a new format. 'I am looking forward to having Brazil as the championship finale,' enthused Rubens. 'It will be an interesting situation, especially if a Brazilian is challenging for the title! At least I won’t have far to go home at the end of the year, and I guess everyone is looking forward to an end-of-year party in Sao Paulo, which is a more exciting venue than Suzuka.'