2004 European Grand Prix

The 2004 European Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the 2004 Formula 1 Allianz Grand Prix of Europe, was the seventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany, on 30 May 2004.'Europe 2004 - Too easy for Schumacher.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 30/05/2004), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/48996/1/europe-2004-too-easy-for-schumacher, (Accessed 20/12/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher re-establish himself as the dominant force in F1 in 2004, claiming his sixth win of the season.
Indeed, having been beaten in Monte Carlo there would be no beating Schumacher on home soil, the German ace sweeping to pole position in qualifying by two thirds of a second. Takuma Sato was his closest challenger in second ahead of Jarno Trulli, while Kimi Räikkönen secured his best grid slot of the season with fourth.
Furthermore, there was no stopping the #1 at the start, which sprinted away to leave Sato and Trulli to fight for second. Their squabble proved so intense that they allowed Räikkönen to sneak into second, and left themselves vulnerable to a fast starting Fernando Alonso over the rest of the opening lap. Behind, the s removed each other from contention, with Ralf Schumacher ultimately taking Cristiano da Matta out as well when attempting to rejoin.
All hopes of Michael Schumacher being challenged at all in the European Grand Prix evaporated during the early laps, with Räikkönen simply lacking the pace to keep pace with Schumacher. Indeed, the was only really managing to keep the chasing pack at bay rather than fight for the lead, with Schumacher quickly building a ten second lead.
Such was Schumacher's pace that when he stopped on lap nine he was able to rejoin in seventh, just behind the sextet headed by Räikkönen. Räikkönen then prompted McLaren fans' hearts to drop when he stopped on the following lap, handing Alonso the lead.
Alonso's stop on the following tour handed Sato the lead, before the Japanese ace himself stopped after two further laps. Rubens Barrichello hence led for the next three laps before completing the first pit-cycle, handing the lead back to teammate Schumacher, as he rejoined in third behind Sato.
Indeed, slick work from in the pits had aided both drivers, with Sato jumping into second, while Jenson Button had jumped both s to secure fourth. Their fight with Barrichello would hence be the main draw for the rest of the afternoon, as Räikkönen's race came to a familiarly smokey end with his engine let go after his stop.
The BAR-Honda/Barrichello fight would be seemingly concluded when Barrichello made his second stop on lap 38, for the Brazilian was able to rejoin in third ahead of Button. Sato, meanwhile, would leave the pits from his final stop behind his teammate, although Button wisely opted to let the Japanese racer through, knowing he was yet to stop himself.
Unfortunately for Sato his hopes of a maiden podium finish, let alone beating Barrichello were ended by an optimistic lunge on the #2 Ferrari in the closing stages, which only succeeded in breaking his own front wing. Sato duly limped back to the pits for repairs, but was forced to retire, as Button took up the charge, although the Brit was too far behind to challenge the Brazilian.
Out front, meanwhile, Schumacher had paced himself beautifully at the head of the field, and hence had an untroubled run to his sixth victory in seven races. Barrichello and Button completed the podium, five seconds between them, while Trulli, Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella, Mark Webber and Montoya secured the remaining points.
==Background==
For the first time in Michael Schumacher had not only failed to win but also failed to score in Monte Carlo, meaning his Championship tally remained at 50 points. That had allowed Rubens Barrichello to close the gap at the head of the title hunt, although the Brazilian was still twelve points off his teammate's tally. Jenson Button was a further six behind, one point ahead of race winner Jarno Trulli, with just four drivers yet to score in 2004.
In the Constructors Championship had seen their lead slightly reduced as a result of their lone score in Monte Carlo, although they still held a healthy 36 point margin. had done the "damage" courtesy of Trulli's win, although they were still two races worth of points behind the Scuderia. were next ahead of , while had claimed fifth from .
===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 	Ralf Schumacher 	BMW Williams F1 Team 	 	FW26 	 	P84 3.0 V10 	
5 	David Coulthard 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-19 	 	FO 110Q 3.0 V10 	
6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	West McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-19 	 	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:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)
==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 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:28.278 	1:28.351 	—
2 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	1:27.691 	1:28.986 	+0.635s
3 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:29.905 	1:29.135 	+0.784s
4 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:28.897 	1:29.137 	+0.786s
5 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	1:28.816 	1:29.245 	+0.894s
6 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:29.069 	1:29.313 	+0.962s
7 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:29.014 	1:29.353 	+1.002s
8 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	1:29.092 	1:29.354 	+1.003s
9 	4 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	1:28.655 	1:29.459 	+1.108s
10 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:29.243 	1:29.697 	+1.346s
11 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	1:29.272 	1:29.706 	+1.355s
12 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	1:30.933 	1:31.431 	+3.080s
13 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	1:32.216 	1:31.604 	+3.253s
14 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	1:30.579 	1:31.797 	+3.446s
15 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	1:31.928 	1:31.979 	+3.628s
16 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	1:31.879 	1:31.982 	+3.631s
17 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	1:33.061 	1:34.398 	+6.047s
EXC* 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	1:33.077 	1:34.022 	1:34.022
NC† 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:29.327 	— 	—
NC† 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	1:28.717 	— 	—
Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'Europe 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'Europe 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'Europe 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'Europe 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'Europe 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'Europe 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Allianz Grand Prix of Europe - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/759/europe/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 20/12/2019)'Europe 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)
*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.
** Bruni was excluded from the results of qualifying for ignoring a red light in the pitlane.
*† Coulthard and Fisichella received ten place grid penalties for changing their engines.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
Schumacher and Barrichello left the champagne unsprayed after to respect to late Fiat chairman Umberto Agnelli, which died lymphatic cancer 69 years old in Turin on Thursday night.
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	60 	1:32:35.101 	1 	10
2 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	60 	+17.989s 	7 	8
3 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	60 	+22.533s 	5 	6
4 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	60 	+53.673s 	3 	5
5 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	60 	+1:00.987 	6 	4
6 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	60 	+1:13.448 	18 	3
7 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	60 	+1:16.206 	14 	2
8 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	8 	1
9 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	16 	
10 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	13 	
11 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	10 	
12 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	12 	
13 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	58 	+2 Laps 	15 	
14 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	57 	+3 Laps 	19 	
15 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	57 	+3 Laps 	17 	
Ret 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	47 	Engine 	2 	
Ret 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	25 	Engine 	20 	
Ret 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	9 	Engine 	4 	
Ret 	4 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	0 	Collision 	9 	
Ret 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	0 	Collision 	11 	
Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)	Source:'Europe 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe/classement.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Takuma Sato entered his 25th Grand Prix.'2004 European GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2004&gp=European%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 20/12/2019)
* Michael Schumacher secured his 60th pole position.'7. Europe 2004', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/europe.aspx, (Accessed 20/12/2019)
* Schumacher claimed his 76th victory.
* claimed their 173rd win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Britta Roeske started her career as a trainee in the communication department of the Renault team.
==Standings==
Michael Schumacher's domination of the FIA Formula One World Championship resumed after his Monaco blip, with his sixth win of the campaign leaving him on 60 points. Rubens Barrichello hence slipped fourteen points behind having finished second to his teammate, while Jenson Button was now 22 off the German ace. Jarno Trulli, meanwhile, had slipped a little further behind the Brit in fourth, while Fernando Alonso completed the top five.
In the Constructors Championship smashed through the 100 point barrier at the seventh race of the campaign, leaving the Nürburgring on 106 points. were still second, 45 off the leaders, while remained in third, inching away from . were next having broken into double figures for the season, with still stuck on five points.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	60 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	46 	
3 	Jenson Button 	38 	
4 	Jarno Trulli 	36 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	25 	1
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	24 	1
7 	Ralf Schumacher 	12 	
8 	Takuma Sato 	8 	
9 	Felipe Massa 	5 	
10 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	5 	2
11 	David Coulthard 	4 	1
12 	Cristiano da Matta 	3 	1
13 	Mark Webber 	3 	2
14 	Nick Heidfeld 	2 	1
15 	Olivier Panis 	1 	1
16 	Kimi Räikkönen 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	106 	
2 	 	61 	
3 	 	46 	
4 	 	36 	
5 	 	10 	
6 	 	5 	
7 	 	4 	
8 	 	3 	2
9 	 	2 	1
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2004 Grands Prix
Category:European Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Germany