2004 British Grand Prix

The 2004 British Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 2004 Formula 1 Foster's British Grand Prix, was the eleventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, on 11 July 2004.'Britain 2004: Schumacher supreme at Silverstone.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 11/07/2004), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/49484/1/britain-2004-schumacher-supreme-at-silverstone, (Accessed 22/12/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher secure his tenth victory of the season as he continued his dominant streak to a seventh World Championship crown.
There had been a surprise result in qualifying as an out of form Kimi Räikkönen claimed pole position, beating Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello. Jenson Button gave home fans hope by claiming third for , while Schumacher would start from fourth having reportedly opted for a higher fuel load.
Räikkönen's sudden strong form continued through the start of the race, with the #6 sprinting clear to establish an early lead. Behind, it would be grid order for Barrichello, Button and Schumacher, for the fabled launch control systems on Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso's cars failed to dent the front of the field.
Indeed, it was a fairly tame start to the race overall, with Räikkönen building a 4.3 second lead in the opening three laps with a succession of new lap records. Behind, Giancarlo Fisichella provided the main entertainment as he sprinted up the field from last place in the pitlane to seventeenth with a series of excellent moves.
As the race wore on the Bridgestone shod cars, primarily the two Ferraris, began to pick up the pace, with the cooler conditions in Silverstone taking their tyres out of their favoured operation window. Indeed, Barrichello was able to exchange a series of new lap records with Räikkönen as he slowly clawed the McLaren back in, while Button did his best to keep pace with Schumacher on his tail.
Räikkönen duly led the top three into the pits for the first of their three stops a few laps later, leaving Schumacher on his own at the head of the field. In clear air the German ace set a series of new lap records to demolish Räikkönen's advantage, with the Finn himself having emerged from his stop behind a stubborn Takuma Sato.
Sato's intervention allowed Ferrari to swap Schumacher onto a two-stop, and hence ended any hopes of the #1 Ferrari being challenged, for it emerged from the pits well ahead of Räikkönen's McLaren. Furthermore, Sato's antics had allowed Button to jump ahead of Barrichello, and hence allowed the Brit to follow Räikkönen right onto Schumacher's tail.
McLaren, hoping to force Ferrari's hand, opted to pit Räikkönen the moment he caught the #1 Ferrari, although the German ace was not to be fazed. Instead, the Ferrari team focused their attention on Barrichello, and a swift stop allowed the Brazilian to jump back ahead of Button to secure third behind Räikkönen.
Furthermore the final round of stops would have no effect on the order, for they came amid a Safety Car period caused by Trulli. Indeed, a suspension failure on the #7 Renault had seen the Italian's car throw itself off the circuit at Bridge, with a barrel roll seeing bits of Renault scattered across the gravel.
After a four lap pause the race resumed, with Schumacher easing away to claim his tenth victory, two seconds clear of Räikkönen. Barrichello, meanwhile, would escape Button's attentions late on to complete the podium, with the Brit himself just fending off Juan Pablo Montoya. The remaining points went to Fisichella, David Coulthard, and Mark Webber.
==Background==
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.
===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:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)
==Practice==
===FP3===
The event was also notable for the death of Minardi Sporting Director John Walton, who died of a heart attack following the street demonstration, causing the Minardi team to withdraw its cars from Saturday's early practice session. Minardi removed all sponsor logos to mourn Walton death, immediately before the race weekend. However, after the event, the team lost their Dutch title sponsor Wilux, mainly because the logos had been removed without the sponsor's agreement.
==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 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:21.639 	1:18.233 	—
2 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:24.817 	1:18.305 	+0.072s
3 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	1:18.872 	1:18.580 	+0.347s
4 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:30.293 	1:18.710 	+0.477s
5 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:21.496 	1:18.715 	+0.482s
6* 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:21.923 	1:18.811 	+0.578s
7 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	1:23.521 	1:19.148 	+0.915s
8 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	1:34.386 	1:19.378 	+1.145s
9 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	1:28.910 	1:19.688 	+1.455s
10 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	1:35.853 	1:20.004 	+1.771s
11 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	1:19.317 	1:20.202 	+1.969s
12† 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:19.967 	1:20.355 	+2.102s
13 	4 	Marc Gené 	 	1:34.981 	1:20.355 	+2.102s
14 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	1:22.507 	1:20.545 	+2.312s
15 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	1:38.648 	1:21.559 	+3.326s
16 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	1:21.350 	1:22.458 	+4.225s
17 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	— 	1:22.677 	+4.444s
18* 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	1:22.529 	1:23.437 	+5.204s
19* 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	1:23.116 	1:24.117 	+5.884s
NC* 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	— 	— 	—
Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'Britain 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'Britain 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'Britain 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'Britain 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'Britain 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'Britain 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 22/12/2019)	Source:'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'2004 FORMULA 1™ Foster's British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/763/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 22/12/2019)'Britain 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/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.
** Alonso, Bruni, Baumgartner and Fisichella were all handed ten place grid penalties for changing their engines.
*† Panis was handed a five place grid penalty for impeding Massa.
===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 	 	60 	1:24:42.700 	4 	10
2 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	60 	+2.130s 	1 	8
3 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	60 	+3.114s 	2 	6
4 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	60 	+10.683s 	3 	5
5 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	60 	+12.173s 	7 	4
6 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	60 	+12.888s 	20 	3
7 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	60 	+19.668s 	6 	2
8 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	60 	+23.701s 	9 	1
9 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	60 	+24.023s 	10 	
10 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	60 	+24.835s 	16 	
11 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	60 	+33.736s 	8 	
12 	4 	Marc Gené 	 	60 	+34.303s 	11 	
13 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	12 	
14 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	13 	
15 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	59 	+1 Lap 	15 	
16 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	56 	+4 Laps 	18 	
Ret 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	47 	Spin 	14 	
Ret 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	39 	Suspension 	5 	
Ret 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	29 	Engine 	19 	
Ret 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	16 	Extinguisher 	17 	
Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Britain 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Marc Gené made his 36th and final Grand Prix start.
* Giorgio Pantano entered his tenth race.'2004 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2004&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 23/12/2019)
* 80th career victory for Michael Schumacher.'11. Britain 2004', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)
* secured their 177th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Rubens Barrichello claimed a record 22nd third place finish.
==Standings==
Ten wins equated to 100 points for Michael Schumacher leaving the British Grand Prix, with the German ace charging towards his seventh World Championship crown at an alarming rate. Indeed, teammate and closest challenger Rubens Barrichello left Silverstone 26 points behind, while third placed Jenson Button was in danger of falling out of the "fight" completely. Otherwise it had been a productive day for Button as he had inched further away from Jarno Trulli, while Fernando Alonso retained his top-five status.
As their lead driver marched to the Drivers Championship so too did , whom left the UK with 174 points to their name. were forming the closest challenge to the Scuderia, although their non-score meant that the gap between the top two was up to 95 points, the equivalent of four race weekend's worth of points. Instead, the French squad were in a fight for second, with having inched closer to twelve behind the tricolour registered squad.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	100 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	74 	
3 	Jenson Button 	53 	
4 	Jarno Trulli 	46 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	33 	
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	29 	
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	18 	4
8 	Takuma Sato 	14 	1
9 	David Coulthard 	14 	
10 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	13 	
11 	Ralf Schumacher 	12 	3
12 	Felipe Massa 	5 	
13 	Olivier Panis 	5 	
14 	Mark Webber 	4 	1
15 	Cristiano da Matta 	3 	1
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 	 	174 	
2 	 	79 	
3 	 	67 	
4 	 	41 	
5 	 	32 	
6 	 	18 	
7 	 	8 	
8 	 	5 	
9 	 	4 	
10 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:British Grand Prix
Category:2004 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in the United Kingdom