2004 German Grand Prix

The LXVI Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland, otherwise known as the 2004 German Grand Prix, was the twelfth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on 25 July 2004.Robert Wilkins, 'Germany 2004: Schu at home as rivals gift victory.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 25/07/2004), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/49622/1/germany-2004-schu-at-home-as-rivals-gift-victory, (Accessed 23/12/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher sweep to his eleventh victory of the season, matching his own record for most wins in a single season.
Indeed, almost the entire weekend proved to be a Schumacher benefit in front of his home fans, with the German ace sweeping to pole position during qualifying. Juan Pablo Montoya would led the anti-Schumacher charge in second for , with Jenson Button edging out the two for third, only for an engine penalty to dump him back down the field.
The start would also favour the German ace, with the #1 instantly sprinting away to claim the lead. The rest of the field were left to fight amongst themselves, with Fernando Alonso getting a perfect start to streak from fifth to second.
Behind, Rubens Barrichello tried too hard to make up for his poor qualifying performance, and hence removed his front wing on the side of David Coulthard in the field corner. That, however, was the only incident of not on the opening lap, with Kimi Räikkönen lining up a move on Alonso for second.
The Finn duly dived past the Spaniard on the second tour, although even the revamped McLaren was not enough to catch Schumacher's fast disappearing Ferrari. Indeed, a low-fuel first stint allowed Schumacher to build a fair lead before leading the field into the pits, leaving two-stoppers Mark Webber and Button at the head of the field.
Räikkönen's race came to a spectacular end shortly after his stop, a rear wing failure throwing the McLaren off the circuit, while Webber pitted and rejoined in a terrific fight for sixth between Jarno Trulli and Takuma Sato. Button, meanwhile, would rejoin in third behind Alonso after making his stop, handing the lead back to Schumacher.
The second round of stops saw Button once again run long compared to the rest, although it was not enough for him to jump Alonso, with the BAR emerging just behind the . The pair would fight until Button's tyres faded, with BAR having swapped the Brit to a three stop in a bid to jump the Spaniard.
The fight for second would resume shortly before the third round of stops, with Button once again rejoining just behind the Renault. This time, however, Button would make one of his many lunges at the hairpin stick, although he would only finish off the move by holding the inside line into the Mercedes Stadium a few seconds later.
With that Button was away to chase Schumacher, while Alonso tumbled back towards Coulthard citing a front wing issue. Behind, Montoya ran in a lonely fifth ahead of Webber, while the returning Antônio Pizzonia slowly closed in on his former teammate having out-fought Sato. The Japenese racer himself was left to fend off Barrichello for the final point, until the Brazilian suffered a left-rear puncture.
Out front, meanwhile, Schumacher would be untroubled by Button as he swept to his eleventh win of the campaign, leaving the German ace on the verge of the title. Button and Alonso duly completed the podium, while Coulthard and Montoya completed the top five ahead of Webber, Pizzonia and Sato.
==Background==
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.
===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 	Antônio Pizzonia 	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 	 	TF104B 	 	RVX-04 3.0 V10 	
17 	Olivier Panis 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF104B 	 	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:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)
==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 	 	1:14.042 	1:13.306 	—
2 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	1:13.391 	1:13.668 	+0.362s
3* 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	1:13.535 	1:13.674 	+0.368s
4 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:13.842 	1:13.690 	+0.384s
5 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	1:13.640 	1:13.821 	+0.515s
6 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:13.582 	1:13.874 	+0.568s
7 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	1:13.737 	1:14.134 	+0.828s
8 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:14.111 	1:14.278 	+0.972s
9 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	1:14.465 	1:14.287 	+0.981s
10 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:13.641 	1:14.368 	+1.062s
11 	4 	Antônio Pizzonia 	 	1:13.422 	1:14.556 	+1.250s
12 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	1:15.093 	1:14.802 	+1.496s
13 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	1:15.090 	1:15.011 	+1.705s
14 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:13.914 	1:15.395 	+2.089s
15 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	1:15.119 	1:15.454 	+2.148s
16 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	1:13.899 	1:15.454 	+2.148s
17 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	1:16.167 	1:16.192 	+2.886s
18 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	1:16.538 	1:16.310 	+3.004s
19 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	1:17.283 	1:18.055 	+4.749s
20 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	1:17.515 	1:18.400 	+5.094s
Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'Germany 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'Germany 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'Germany 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'Germany 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'Germany 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'Germany 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'FORMULA 1™ Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2004 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2004/races/764/germany/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/12/2019)'Germany 2004: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)
*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.
** Button was handed a ten place grid penalty for changing his engine.
===Grid===
** Panis started the race from the pitlane after stalling at the first attempted start.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	66 	1:23:54.848 	1 	10
2 	9 	Jenson Button 	 	66 	+8.388s 	13 	8
3 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	66 	+16.351s 	5 	6
4 	5 	David Coulthard 	 	66 	+19.231s 	4 	5
5 	3 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	 	66 	+23.055s 	2 	4
6 	14 	Mark Webber 	 	66 	+41.108s 	11 	3
7 	4 	Antônio Pizzonia 	 	66 	+41.956s 	19 	2
8 	10 	Takuma Sato 	 	66 	+46.842s 	8 	1
9 	11 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	66 	+1:07.102 	14 	
10 	15 	Christian Klien 	 	66 	+1:08.578 	12 	
11 	7 	Jarno Trulli 	 	66 	+1:10.258 	6 	
12 	2 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	66 	+1:13.252 	7 	
13 	12 	Felipe Massa 	 	65 	+1 Lap 	16 	
14 	17 	Olivier Panis 	 	65 	+1 Lap 	9 	
15 	19 	Giorgio Pantano 	 	63 	+3 Laps 	17 	
16 	21 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	 	62 	+4 Laps 	18 	
17 	20 	Gianmaria Bruni 	 	62 	+4 Laps 	19 	
Ret 	18 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	42 	Handling 	18 	
Ret 	16 	Cristiano da Matta 	 	38 	Puncture 	15 	
Ret 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	13 	Rear wing 	3 	
Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)	Source:'Germany 2004: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* made their 700th Grand Prix appearance as an engine supplier.'12. Germany 2004', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/allemagne.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019)
* 81st career victory for Michael Schumacher.
** Schumacher matched his own record from for most wins in a single season - 11.
* Ferrari claimed their 178th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Jenson Button secured the tenth podium finish for as a constructor.
* Maiden points finish for Antônio Pizzonia.
==Standings==
Michael Schumacher marched on towards his fifth straight World Championship crown with his eleventh win of the season, leaving Germany on 110 points. Rubens Barrichello had slipped 36 points behind his teammate after failing to score, while Jenson Button would fall out of the fight if he failed to beat Schumacher in Hungary. Behind, Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso completed the top five, while Antônio Pizzonia had become the season's nineteenth scorer.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to once again increase their lead, leaving Germany with 99 points in hand. were the team closest to challenging the Scuderia, but with such a huge gap ahead were instead focused on fending off for second. The Anglo-Japanese squad had closed the gap between the two to just nine points, with the pair set to duel for the runner-up spot as continued to fall away.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	110 	
2 	Rubens Barrichello 	74 	
3 	Jenson Button 	61 	
4 	Jarno Trulli 	46 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	39 	
6 	Juan Pablo Montoya 	33 	
7 	David Coulthard 	19 	2
8 	Kimi Räikkönen 	18 	1
9 	Takuma Sato 	15 	1
10 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	13 	
11 	Ralf Schumacher 	12 	
12 	Mark Webber 	7 	2
13 	Felipe Massa 	5 	1
14 	Olivier Panis 	5 	1
15 	Cristiano da Matta 	3 	
16 	Nick Heidfeld 	3 	
17 	Timo Glock 	2 	
18 	Antônio Pizzonia 	2 	4
19 	Zsolt Baumgartner 	1 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	184 	
2 	 	85 	
3 	 	76 	
4 	 	47 	
5 	 	37 	
6 	 	18 	
7 	 	8 	
8 	 	7 	1
9 	 	5 	1
10 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:German Grand Prix
Category:2004 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in Germany