2004 Bahrain Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1’s first visit to Bahrain International Circuit ended with another Ferrari one-two. Michael Schumacher won ahead of Rubens Barrichello, while Jenson Button claimed his second successive podium as the championship made its debut in the Middle East.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:30.139
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:30.252 on lap 7
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Third	Jenson Button	BAR

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
2 April 2004	Practice 1	11:00
2 April 2004	Practice 2	14:00
3 April 2004	Practice 3	09:00
3 April 2004	Practice 4	10:15
3 April 2004	Qualifying 1	13:00
3 April 2004	Qualifying 2	14:00
4 April 2004	Race	14:30

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Michael Schumacher arrived at round 3 leading the 2004 F1 World Championship on 20 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 13. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 33 points.

The new circuit brought unfamiliar braking zones, low grip and desert conditions. Saturday’s timetable also changed from the opening two rounds: practice began earlier, with the first qualifying session at 13:00 and the decisive second session at 14:00. The two lap times were not added together; only the second run determined the grid.

Race entries

The regular 20-car race field remained unchanged for the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix. With no previous Grand Prix experience at the venue, Friday running was especially valuable for both the race drivers and the teams using a third car.

Free Practice

Michael Schumacher set the opening benchmark as the drivers learnt the new circuit. Grip was scarce: Ralf Schumacher spun, Juan Pablo Montoya ran wide twice and both Toyota race drivers also spun. Davidson’s third BAR was among the quickest cars, helping the team gather information on an unfamiliar surface while Ferrari established an early advantage.

Rubens Barrichello finished just one thousandth ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya in a much more eventful afternoon. High-speed tyre failures affected Fernando Alonso, Davidson and David Coulthard, while debris from Fernando Alonso’s Renault damaged Takuma Sato’s front wing. Kimi Räikkönen failed to set a time after an engine problem. Spins and excursions continued as the drivers struggled to judge the limits of the new asphalt.

Jenson Button moved BAR to the front on Saturday morning, narrowly beating Juan Pablo Montoya. Michael Schumacher went off while pushing and finished third. Felipe Massa stopped out on track, while David Coulthard also ran off with an apparent tyre problem. The session suggested that Ferrari would face a more substantial qualifying challenge than Friday’s opening hour had implied.

Jenson Button stayed fastest in final practice, with the two Williams drivers close behind and Takuma Sato fourth. McLaren’s preparation was badly compromised: David Coulthard emerged only in the final minutes, while Kimi Räikkönen initially struggled to leave the pits and later ran off several times. Fernando Alonso, the Sauber drivers, Christian Klien and Zsolt Baumgartner also had excursions, underlining how little margin the unfamiliar circuit offered.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix FP1, 2 April 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:32.158	13
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.493s	13
3	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.800s	19
4	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.869s	14
5	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.740s	13
6	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.865s	10
7	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+2.131s	21
8	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.330s	12
9	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+2.445s	10
10	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+2.452s	12
11	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+2.461s	13
12	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.638s	6
13	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+2.652s	10
14	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+2.714s	11
15	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+2.809s	17
16	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+3.230s	8
17	39	Timo Glock	Jordan	+3.602s	16
18	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+3.747s	11
19	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+3.823s	14
20	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+4.201s	16
21	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+4.487s	12
22	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+4.891s	12
23	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+5.189s	12
24	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+5.285s	12
25	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	+5.634s	18

Free Practice 2 Classification

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix FP2, 2 April 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:31.450	19
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.001s	21
3	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.038s	29
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.282s	22
5	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+0.339s	20
6	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.392s	25
7	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.429s	22
8	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.591s	24
9	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.784s	23
10	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+0.885s	27
11	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.045s	17
12	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.230s	16
13	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+1.258s	18
14	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.311s	21
15	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.581s	23
16	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.599s	18
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+1.611s	23
18	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.987s	12
19	39	Timo Glock	Jordan	+2.245s	27
20	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+2.604s	14
21	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+2.867s	25
22	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+3.341s	16
23	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	+4.798s	25
24	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+9.123s	5
25	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	No time	1

Free Practice 3 Classification

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix FP3, 3 April 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:30.062	11
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.059s	9
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.483s	10
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.554s	10
5	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.589s	13
6	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.941s	14
7	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.028s	10
8	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.279s	9
9	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.423s	9
10	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.582s	17
11	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+1.630s	4
12	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.900s	16
13	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.121s	10
14	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+2.148s	10
15	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+2.214s	9
16	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+3.342s	12
17	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+3.412s	11
18	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+3.801s	11
19	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+5.634s	9
20	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	No time	1

Free Practice 4 Classification

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix FP4, 3 April 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:29.552	14
2	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.138s	9
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.144s	13
4	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+0.687s	19
5	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.855s	11
6	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.920s	10
7	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.947s	12
8	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.961s	11
9	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.222s	12
10	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.382s	13
11	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.768s	9
12	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+1.779s	12
13	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.832s	12
14	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+2.881s	11
15	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+3.005s	12
16	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+3.264s	12
17	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+3.790s	7
18	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+5.038s	11
19	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+6.349s	7
20	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	No time	4

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher found the decisive pace when it mattered and took pole ahead of Rubens Barrichello. Juan Pablo Montoya placed Williams third, with Ralf Schumacher alongside. Takuma Sato qualified fifth ahead of Jenson Button, putting both BARs in position to challenge for another strong result.

Fernando Alonso was left down in sixteenth, while Kimi Räikkönen’s troubled weekend continued at the back after his engine problems. The first qualifying run established the order for the second; Ferrari then made its final, race-fuelled laps count to secure the front row.

Qualifying Classification

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying, 3 April 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	First qualifying	Second qualifying	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:30.751	1:30.139	6
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:31.283	1:30.530	6
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:30.247	1:30.581	6
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:29.968	1:30.633	6
5	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:31.135	1:30.827	6
6	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:31.131	1:30.856	6
7	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:31.103	1:30.971	6
8	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:31.001	1:31.686	6
9	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:31.329	1:31.717	6
10	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:31.364	1:31.719	6
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	1:31.203	1:31.731	6
12	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	1:31.868	1:32.332	6
13	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:32.152	1:32.536	6
14	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:31.945	1:32.625	6
15	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	1:32.640	1:33.506	6
16	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	1:33.598	1:34.105	6
17	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:31.040	1:34.130	6
18	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	1:34.879	1:34.584	6
19	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	1:35.632	1:35.787	6
20	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:30.353	1:30.353	4

After multiple engine issues during practice, McLaren decided to save the Mercedes engine and abort Räikkönen’s effort in the second qualifying session.

Nick Heidfeld, Zsolt Baumgartner and Kimi Räikkönen received a 10-place grid penalty for engine changes.

What happened in the 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Rubens Barrichello threatened at the start, but Michael Schumacher held the inside into the first corner and retained the lead. Takuma Sato passed Ralf Schumacher, and their subsequent battle ended with the Williams spinning after contact. Kimi Räikkönen suffered another engine failure, his third retirement in the opening three races.

Ferrari controlled the race despite Rubens Barrichello stalling briefly as he left his pit box. Juan Pablo Montoya appeared set for third until a late gearbox problem slowed his Williams dramatically. Jenson Button, who had worked past Jarno Trulli, took advantage to secure another podium. Fernando Alonso recovered from a lowly start and an early repair stop to finish sixth.

Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello completed a convincing one-two, with Jenson Button third and Jarno Trulli fourth. Takuma Sato, Fernando Alonso, Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber rounded out the points. Juan Pablo Montoya slipped to thirteenth, leaving Ferrari with three victories from three and a substantial early championship advantage.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 30 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 21. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 51, with Renault on 22.

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix race results

The 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix was held on 4 April 2004, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	57	1:28:34.875	10
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	57	+1.367	8
3	9	Jenson Button	BAR	57	+26.687	6
4	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	57	+32.214	5
5	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	57	+52.460	4
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	57	+53.156	3
7	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	57	+58.155	2
8	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	56	+1 Lap	1
9	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	56	+1 Lap	0
10	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	56	+1 Lap	0
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
12	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
13	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	56	Gearbox	0
14	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	56	+1 Lap	0
15	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	56	+1 Lap	0
16	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	55	+2 Laps	0
17	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	52	+5 Laps	0
Ret	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	50	Pneumatics	0
Ret	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	44	Engine	0
Ret	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	7	Engine	0

Gianmaria Bruni started the race from the pitlane.

2004 Bahrain Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	7	1:30.252	216.074
2	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	39	1:30.654	215.116
3	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	56	1:30.781	214.815
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	29	1:30.876	214.591
5	9	Jenson Button	BAR	24	1:30.960	214.393
6	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	28	1:30.977	214.353
7	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	55	1:31.101	214.061
8	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	24	1:31.421	213.312
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	19	1:31.861	212.290
10	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	19	1:32.277	211.333
11	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	23	1:32.319	211.237
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	40	1:32.329	211.214
13	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	22	1:32.401	211.049
14	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	38	1:32.533	210.748
15	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	44	1:32.690	210.391
16	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	56	1:33.284	209.051
17	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	7	1:33.527	208.508
18	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	9	1:34.032	207.388
19	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	24	1:34.555	206.241
20	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	40	1:35.130	204.995

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2004 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix.

2004 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	30
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	21
3	Jenson Button	British	BAR	15
4	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	12
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	11
6	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	11
7	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	7
8	Takuma Sato	Japanese	BAR	4
9	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	4
10	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Sauber	1
11	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	1
12	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	0
13	Olivier Panis	French	Toyota	0
14	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Sauber	0
15	Christian Klien	Austrian	Jaguar	0
16	Giorgio Pantano	Italian	Jordan	0
17	Gianmaria Bruni	Italian	Minardi	0
18	Nick Heidfeld	German	Jordan	0
19	Zsolt Baumgartner	Hungarian	Minardi	0
–	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	0

2004 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	51
2	Renault	22
3	Williams	19
4	BAR	19
5	McLaren	4
6	Sauber	1
7	Jaguar	1
8	Toyota	0
9	Jordan	0
10	Minardi	0

2004 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2004 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	7 March
2	2004 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	21 March
3	2004 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	4 April
4	2004 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola	25 April
5	2004 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	9 May
6	2004 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	23 May
7	2004 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	30 May
8	2004 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	13 June
9	2004 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	20 June
10	2004 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	4 July
11	2004 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	11 July
12	2004 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	25 July
13	2004 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	15 August
14	2004 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	29 August
15	2004 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	12 September
16	2004 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	26 September
17	2004 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	10 October
18	2004 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	24 October