2004 French Grand Prix

The 2004 French Grand Prix, otherwise formally known as the XC Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, France, on 4 July 2004.'France 2004: Schumacher dishes out the blues.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 04/07/2004), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/49367/1/france-2004-schumacher-dishes-out-the-blues, (Accessed 22/12/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher collect his ninth winner's trophy of the campaign, defeating Fernando Alonso in a straight duel.
Indeed, the Spaniard had been the man to beat in qualifying, sweeping to his first pole position of the season for . Schumacher would hence have to settle for second, while David Coulthard and Jenson Button shared the second row for and respectively.
The start of the race played out as expected, with Alonso's superior launch-control system catapulting him into the lead ahead of Schumacher's #1 . Behind, Jarno Trulli would challenge for second having streaked up from fifth to third in the #7 Renault, leaving Coulthard and Button to squabble for fourth, with the Englishman emerging ahead of the Scot.
Alonso and Schumacher quickly checked out at the head of the field, largely due to the fact that both had opted for a light opening fuel load. Behind, Trulli had to put up a ferocious defence to keep Button at bay, while Coulthard was being harassed by Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Räikkönen and Rubens Barrichello.
Schumacher was, unsurprisingly, the first man to stop on lap eleven, having set a series of fastest laps to challenge Alonso. The Spaniard duly made his stop three laps later, and with Schumacher getting caught in an almighty / squabble, the #8 Renault emerged ahead of the #1 Ferrari.
With both Jaguar and Sauber opting for two-stop strategies, Schumacher would lose more time in the traffic, before Felipe Massa finally stopped from second on lap 21. Once clear Schumacher was told to throw everything he could at Alonso's four second lead, and duly carved half-a-second a lap out of the Spaniard before stopping on lap 29.
Determined not to be thrown off by Schumacher's early second stop, Renault instructed Alonso to stay out, despite the fact that the Spaniard had been pushing his Michelin tyres harder than planned to keep the #1 Ferrari at bay. Somewhat inevitably his pace collapsed, and hence gifted the lead to Schumacher when he stopped two laps later, the German ace having set a succession of new lap records.
Indeed, the Ferrari team had opted to short-fill Schumacher, replacing a three-stop strategy for a four-stop, intending to keep the German on low fuel throughout. The #1 Ferrari hence managed to build a ten second lead before making its third stop, before catching back up to Alonso before their final stops.
Ultimately light-fuel and soft tyres prevailed, with Schumacher able to exit the pits from his fourth stop with a healthy lead over Alonso. The closing laps saw the #8 Renault gradually draw the Ferrari back in, although time would run out long before Schumacher's lead was threatened.
With that the race was run, with Schumacher cruising through to claim his ninth win, a result which also secured his 60th win for Ferrari. Alonso was a slightly frustrated second, while behind Trulli made a mistake at the final corner to gift Barrichello the final podium spot, having fended off the Brazilian and Button through the final stages. The Italian racer hence had to settle for fourth ahead of Button's BAR, with Coulthard, Räikkönen and Montoya completing the points.
==Background==
Unsurprisingly an eighth win of the season had allowed Michael Schumacher to extend his title lead to eighteen points with half the season to run. Furthermore, his closest challenger was teammate Rubens Barrichello, and the latest spat of "team orders" in the US had made it clear that the Brazilian was not allowed to fight the German ace for race victories, let alone the crown. Jenson Button was therefore Schumacher's closest competitor, albeit with a 36 point deficit at the halfway point.
In the Constructors Championship continued to ease away at the head of the pack, leaving North America with a huge 142 point tally. That left them with over double the number of points of second placed , meaning the French squad were realistically in a fight for second with . Eight points split the pair at the halfway point, while were on the scoresheet for the first time, after a pointless run extending back to the 2002 Australian Grand Prix.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Michael Schumacher 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2004 	 	053 3.0 V10 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2004 	 	053 3.0 V10 	
3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW26 	 	P84 3.0 V10 	
4 	Marc Gené 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW26 	 	P84 3.0 V10 	
5 	David Coulthard 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-19B 	 	FO 110Q 3.0 V10 	
6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-19B 	 	FO 110Q 3.0 V10 	
7 	Jarno Trulli 	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team 	 	R24 	 	RS24 3.0 V10 	
8 	Fernando Alonso 	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team 	 	R24 	 	RS24 3.0 V10 	
9 	Jenson Button 	Lucky Strike BAR Honda 	 	006 	 	RA004E 3.0 V10 	
10 	Takuma Sato 	Lucky Strike BAR Honda 	 	006 	 	RA004E 3.0 V10 	
11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Sauber Petronas 	 	C23 	 	04A 3.0 V10 	
12 	Felipe Massa 	Sauber Petronas 	 	C23 	 	04A 3.0 V10 	
14 	Mark Webber 	Jaguar Racing 	 	R5 	 	CR-6 3.0 V10 	
15 	Christian Klien 	Jaguar Racing 	 	R5 	 	CR-6 3.0 V10 	
16 	Cristiano da Matta 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF104 	 	RVX-04 3.0 V10 	
17 	Olivier Panis 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF104 	 	RVX-04 3.0 V10 	
18 	Nick Heidfeld 	Jordan Ford 	 	EJ14 	 	RS2 3.0 V10 	
19 	Giorgio Pantano 	Jordan Ford 	 	EJ14 	 	RS2 3.0 V10 	
20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	Minardi Cosworth 	 	PS04B 	 	CR-3L 3.0 V10 	
21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	Minardi Cosworth 	 	PS04B 	 	CR-3L 3.0 V10 	
Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only
35 	Anthony Davidson 	Lucky Strike BAR Honda 	 	006 	 	RA004E 3.0 V10 	
37 	Björn Wirdheim 	Jaguar Racing 	 	R5 	 	CR-6 3.0 V10 	
38 	Ricardo Zonta 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF104 	 	RVX-04 3.0 V10 	
39 	Timo Glock 	Jordan Ford 	 	EJ14 	 	RS2 3.0 V10 	
40 	Bas Leinders 	Minardi Cosworth 	 	PS04B 	 	CR-3L 3.0 V10 	
Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1 Report===
===Q2 Report===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Time 	Gap
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2 	Gap
1 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:13.750 	1:13.698 	—
2 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:13.541 	1:13.971 	+0.273s
3 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	1:13.649 	1:13.987 	+0.289s
4 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	1:13.772 	1:13.995 	+0.297s
5 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:13.949 	1:14.070 	+0.372s
6 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	1:13.377 	1:14.172 	+0.474s
7 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	1:14.130 	1:14.240 	+0.542s
8 	4 	Marc Gené 	 	1:14.133 	1:14.275 	+0.577s
9 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:13.736 	1:14.346 	+0.648s
10 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	1:14.478 	+0.780s
11 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	1:14.245 	1:14.553 	+0.855s
12 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	1:15.332 	1:14.798 	+1.100s
13 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	1:15.205 	1:15.065 	+1.367s
14 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:14.540 	1:15.130 	+1.432s
15 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:15.793 	1:16.177 	+2.479s
16 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	1:14.627 	1:16.200 	+2.502s
17 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	1:16.366 	1:16.807 	+3.109s
18 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	1:15.913 	1:17.462 	+3.764s
19 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	1:18.070 	1:17.913 	+4.215s
20 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	1:18.108 	1:18.247 	+4.549s
Source:'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'France 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'France 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'France 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'France 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'France 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'France 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'FORMULA 1 ™ Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/762/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'France 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	70 	1:30:18.133 	2 	10
2 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	70 	+8.329s 	1 	8
3 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	70 	+31.622s 	10 	6
4 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	70 	+32.082s 	5 	5
5 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	70 	+32.482s 	4 	4
6 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	70 	+35.520s 	3 	3
7 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	70 	+36.230s 	9 	2
8 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	70 	+43.419s 	6 	1
9 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	70 	+52.394s 	12 	
10 	4 	Marc Gené 	 	70 	+58.166s 	8 	
11 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	13 	
12 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	15 	
13 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	16 	
14 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	69 	+1 Lap 	11 	
15 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	68 	+2 Laps 	14 	
16 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	68 	+2 Laps 	17 	
17 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	67 	+3 Laps 	18 	
18* 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	66 	Gearbox 	19 	
Ret 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	31 	Accident 	20 	
Ret 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	15 	Engine 	7 	
Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'France 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Bruni was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* 450th Grand Prix appearance for as a constructor.'10. France 2004', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/france.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)
* Tenth entries for Christian Klien and Gianmaria Bruni.'2004 French GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2004&gp=French%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 22/12/2019)
* Michael Schumacher secured his 79th career victory.
** Schumacher matched his own record for most wins at a single Grand Prix - 7.
* swept to their 176th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Fernando Alonso secured the 50th podium finish for a chassis.
==Standings==
Michael Schumacher's march to a seventh World Championship continued in France with his ninth win of the campaign, leaving the German ace just ten shy of the 100 point mark. Teammate Rubens Barrichello had lost more ground, now facing a 22 point gap to the German ace, while Jenson Button in third left Magny-Cours 42 points away. Jarno Trulli had closed in on the Brit in the fight for third, while Fernando Alonso had inched closer to their fight in fifth.
In the Constructors Championship another strong weekend for had put the Scuderia onto 158 points, and hence ensured they still had double the points of their closest challengers. Indeed, left their home race, on the 25th anniversary of their maiden victory, on 79 points, and had hence all but given up hope of challenging for the crown. They were hence working to consolidate second ahead of , with the Anglo-Japanese alliance having broken clear of in fourth.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	90 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	68 	
3 	Jenson Button 	48 	
4 	Jarno Trulli 	46 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	33 	
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	25 	
7 	Takuma Sato 	14 	
8 	Ralf Schumacher 	12 	
9 	David Coulthard 	12 	1
10 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	10 	1
11 	Kimi Räikkönen 	10 	
12 	Felipe Massa 	5 	
13 	Olivier Panis 	5 	
14 	Cristiano da Matta 	3 	
15 	Mark Webber 	3 	
16 	Nick Heidfeld 	3 	
17 	Timo Glock 	2 	
18 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	158 	
2 	 	79 	
3 	 	62 	
4 	 	37 	
5 	 	22 	
6 	 	15 	
7 	 	8 	
8 	 	5 	
9 	 	3 	
10 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2004 Grands Prix
Category:French Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in France