2004 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Juan Pablo Montoya signed off from Williams with victory in a lively Brazilian Grand Prix, resisting future McLaren team-mate Kimi Räikkönen. Rubens Barrichello finished third at home as the 2004 season ended with changing conditions and a closely fought contest at Interlagos.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Pole time	1:10.646
Fastest lap	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:11.473 on lap 49
First	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
Second	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Third	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
22 October 2004	Practice 1	11:00
22 October 2004	Practice 2	14:00
23 October 2004	Practice 3	09:00
23 October 2004	Practice 4	10:15
23 October 2004	Qualifying 1	13:00
23 October 2004	Qualifying 2	14:00
24 October 2004	Race	14:00

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 18 leading the 2004 F1 World Championship on 146 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 108. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 254 points.

Race entries

Ricardo Zonta returned to Toyota alongside Jarno Trulli for his home race, replacing Olivier Panis after the Frenchman’s final start in Japan. Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher prepared for their last races with Williams, while David Coulthard was making his final McLaren appearance. Jaguar also contested its last Grand Prix before the team’s sale and renaming.

Free Practice

Juan Pablo Montoya led the opening session, narrowly ahead of Briscoe’s Toyota. The dusty, slippery surface made it easy to spin after placing a wheel off line, and the short lap brought traffic into the equation. Toyota compared downforce levels as well as tyres, while Ricardo Zonta readjusted to Interlagos after time away from racing there.

Rubens Barrichello led Michael Schumacher in the afternoon. Toyota completed substantial mileage across its three cars, working from long tyre runs towards shorter performance checks. Jarno Trulli was pleased with the balance but could not bring his best sectors together on fresh tyres, while Ricardo Zonta continued to improve the car through the session.

Jenson Button headed Takuma Sato in the first Saturday session, which was shortened after stray dogs wandered onto the circuit. The lost running was particularly unhelpful for drivers learning Interlagos in Formula 1 machinery, including Christian Klien. It also reduced the time available to finalise set-ups before single-lap qualifying.

Rubens Barrichello was quickest in final practice, but Michael Schumacher crashed heavily and damaged his Ferrari. He had to use the spare car and a fresh engine, bringing a ten-place grid penalty. Ricardo Zonta’s Toyota needed changes to stop it bottoming and wearing its floor, adjustments that introduced understeer before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix FP1, 22 October 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:12.547	11
2	38	Ryan Briscoe	Toyota	+0.067s	25
3	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.326s	12
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.603s	4
5	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.685s	22
6	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.730s	6
7	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.965s	15
8	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.292s	10
9	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+1.308s	13
10	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.443s	12
11	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+1.495s	13
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+1.571s	14
13	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.600s	9
14	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.640s	13
15	17	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+1.660s	14
16	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.932s	13
17	7	Jacques Villeneuve	Renault	+2.038s	13
18	39	Robert Doornbos	Jordan	+2.419s	27
19	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+2.518s	24
20	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+2.867s	12
21	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+2.929s	15
22	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+2.943s	12
23	19	Timo Glock	Jordan	+3.100s	18
24	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+3.859s	13
25	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix FP2, 22 October 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:11.166	25
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.168s	28
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.360s	20
4	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.565s	24
5	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.754s	31
6	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+0.822s	23
7	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.839s	30
8	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.017s	24
9	38	Ryan Briscoe	Toyota	+1.043s	34
10	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.069s	26
11	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.114s	24
12	7	Jacques Villeneuve	Renault	+1.150s	31
13	39	Robert Doornbos	Jordan	+1.179s	27
14	17	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+1.181s	30
15	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.264s	24
16	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.379s	36
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+1.465s	29
18	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.650s	35
19	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+1.948s	24
20	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+2.301s	31
21	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+2.343s	32
22	19	Timo Glock	Jordan	+2.800s	24
23	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+2.813s	25
24	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+3.137s	28
25	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	+3.588s	10

Free Practice 3 Classification

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix FP3, 23 October 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:11.466	9
2	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+0.114s	11
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.125s	7
4	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.175s	6
5	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.248s	8
6	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.274s	9
7	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+0.519s	6
8	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+0.598s	5
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.619s	7
10	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.742s	7
11	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.797s	5
12	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.890s	8
13	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.097s	8
14	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+1.146s	8
15	17	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+1.559s	10
16	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+1.861s	8
17	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+2.818s	10
18	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+2.870s	11
19	19	Timo Glock	Jordan	+3.339s	11
20	7	Jacques Villeneuve	Renault	No time	2

Free Practice 4 Classification

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix FP4, 23 October 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:10.229	15
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.123s	15
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.156s	15
4	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.184s	11
5	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.251s	16
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.454s	11
7	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.768s	9
8	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+0.898s	18
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+0.901s	23
10	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+0.913s	10
11	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.928s	12
12	7	Jacques Villeneuve	Renault	+1.092s	18
13	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+1.196s	5
14	17	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+1.459s	16
15	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.482s	15
16	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+2.019s	21
17	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+2.070s	12
18	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+2.761s	17
19	19	Timo Glock	Jordan	+3.589s	17
20	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+4.182s	16

Qualifying

Rubens Barrichello delighted the home crowd with pole, ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen. Felipe Massa made it two Brazilians in the first four, with Jenson Button and Takuma Sato on the third row. Jarno Trulli again put Toyota in the top ten.

Michael Schumacher’s engine penalty dropped him from eighth fastest to eighteenth on the grid. Ricardo Zonta qualified in the midfield after struggling with the understeer introduced by his set-up changes. The front row gave Rubens Barrichello another opportunity to end his long run of misfortune at home.

Qualifying Classification

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 23 October 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	First qualifying	Second qualifying	Laps
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:09.822	1:10.646	6
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:09.862	1:10.850	6
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:10.440	1:10.892	6
4	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:09.930	1:10.922	6
5	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:10.607	1:11.092	6
6	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:10.373	1:11.120	6
7	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:10.258	1:11.131	6
8	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:10.192	1:11.386	6
9	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:10.637	1:11.454	6
10	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:10.478	1:11.483	6
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	1:10.467	1:11.571	6
12	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:11.230	1:11.665	6
13	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:10.418	1:11.750	6
14	7	Jacques Villeneuve	Renault	1:10.708	1:11.836	6
15	17	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	1:11.315	1:11.974	6
16	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	1:11.912	1:12.211	6
17	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	1:11.394	1:12.829	6
18	19	Timo Glock	Jordan	1:12.242	1:13.502	6
19	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	1:13.032	1:13.550	6
20	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	1:12.916	1:12.916	3

Gianmaria Bruni did not get time in Q2 due to suspension problems.

Michael Schumacher, Zsolt Baumgartner and Gianmaria Bruni received a 10-place grid penalty for engine changes.

What happened in the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix?

The race began on a damp circuit, with most drivers on intermediates. Kimi Räikkönen passed Rubens Barrichello early, but the track dried quickly and the field switched to dry tyres. Juan Pablo Montoya emerged ahead of Kimi Räikkönen during that transition, while Fernando Alonso’s decision to start on dry tyres briefly put the Renault in the lead.

Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen became the principal contenders as the strategies unfolded. The Williams driver retained his advantage through the final stops, despite Kimi Räikkönen extending his stint in an attempt to jump ahead. Jaguar’s farewell was marred by contact between Mark Webber and Christian Klien, which put Mark Webber out.

Juan Pablo Montoya won from Kimi Räikkönen, with Rubens Barrichello securing his first finish at Interlagos since 1994 and his only podium there. Fernando Alonso, Ralf Schumacher, Takuma Sato, Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa completed the points. BAR retained second in the constructors’ championship, while Williams ended a difficult season with its only victory of the year.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 148 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 114. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 262, with BAR on 119.

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 24 October 2004, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	71	1:28:01.451	10
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	71	+1.022	8
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	71	+24.099	6
4	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	71	+48.508	5
5	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	71	+49.740	4
6	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	71	+50.248	3
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	71	+50.626	2
8	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	71	+1:02.310	1
9	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	71	+1:03.842	0
10	7	Jacques Villeneuve	Renault	70	+1 Lap	0
11	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	70	+1 Lap	0
12	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	70	+1 Lap	0
13	17	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	70	+1 Lap	0
14	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	69	+2 Laps	0
15	19	Timo Glock	Jordan	69	+2 Laps	0
16	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	67	+4 Laps	0
17	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	67	+4 Laps	0
Ret	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	23	Collision	0
Ret	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	15	Clutch	0
Ret	9	Jenson Button	BAR	3	Engine	0

Zsolt Baumgartner and Gianmaria Bruni started the race from the pitlane.

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	49	1:11.473	217.038
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	52	1:11.562	216.768
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	22	1:11.672	216.435
4	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	49	1:11.763	216.161
5	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	23	1:11.764	216.158
6	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	69	1:11.877	215.818
7	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	51	1:11.941	215.626
8	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	68	1:12.066	215.252
9	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	42	1:12.118	215.097
10	7	Jacques Villeneuve	Renault	68	1:12.210	214.823
11	16	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	65	1:12.435	214.156
12	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	40	1:12.522	213.899
13	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	49	1:12.891	212.816
14	17	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	69	1:12.961	212.612
15	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	20	1:13.197	211.926
16	19	Timo Glock	Jordan	68	1:13.905	209.896
17	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	45	1:14.743	207.543
18	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	50	1:14.756	207.507
19	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	11	1:15.855	204.500
20	9	Jenson Button	BAR	2	1:24.440	183.709

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 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2004 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	148
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	114
3	Jenson Button	British	BAR	85
4	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	59
5	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	58
6	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault / Toyota	46
7	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	45
8	Takuma Sato	Japanese	BAR	34
9	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	24
10	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	24
11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Sauber	22
12	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Sauber	12
13	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	7
14	Olivier Panis	French	Toyota	6
15	Antônio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Williams	6
16	Christian Klien	Austrian	Jaguar	3
17	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	3
18	Nick Heidfeld	German	Jordan	3
19	Timo Glock	German	Jordan	2
20	Zsolt Baumgartner	Hungarian	Minardi	1
21	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Renault	0
22	Ricardo Zonta	Brazilian	Toyota	0
23	Marc Gené	Spanish	Williams	0
24	Giorgio Pantano	Italian	Jordan	0
25	Gianmaria Bruni	Italian	Minardi	0

2004 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	262
2	BAR	119
3	Renault	105
4	Williams	88
5	McLaren	69
6	Sauber	34
7	Jaguar	10
8	Toyota	9
9	Jordan	5
10	Minardi	1

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