Schumacher is quickest in practice
 |  Winning his seventh world title has not slowed up Michael Schumacher |
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MONZA, Italy -- Michael Schumacher was fastest in Italian Grand Prix practice as McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen remained a threat to Ferrari's homecoming celebrations.
Showing no signs of slowing up after clinching an unprecedented seventh world title in Belgium, Schumacher returned to the scene of his big crash in testing last week with a time comfortably inside the lap record.
The German sped round the fastest circuit on the calendar in one minute 20.52 seconds, with Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello next quickest in 1:20.86.
"It's always nice to race in front of our 'tifosi' and so I am happy to be back at Monza again after two days of testing last week," said Schumacher, who had the colours of the Italian flag painted on his helmet.
Finland's Raikkonen, winner in Spa to end Schumacher's streak of seven successive victories and give McLaren their first win in more than a year, then hit back with the fastest lap of the afternoon session.
His time of 1:20.84 on a sunny afternoon pipped Barrichello's lap of 1:20.89 and Schumacher's best second session effort of 1:21.08.
The times compared to last year's pole position of 1:20.96 and the race lap record of 1:21.83, suggesting that this weekend's qualifying could well witness the quickest lap in Formula One history.
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, in a Williams, set the mark at Monza in 2002 with a time of 1:20.26 and an average speed of 259.82 kph/161.44 mph.
Briton Anthony Davidson, the BAR test driver who will not race on Sunday, was third quickest in the morning, in 1:20.90.
Ferrari won the constructors' championship for the sixth year in a row in Hungary last month and are preparing for a celebration in front of their home fans in the last European round of the season.
Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia, replacing recuperating Ralf Schumacher at Williams, was fifth fastest but crashed in the afternoon at the high-speed Parabolica curve.
The heavy impact ripped the right rear wheel off the car as it skimmed across the gravel and slammed into the barriers. The driver emerged unscathed.
