2004 German Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher won his home Grand Prix at Hockenheimring, but Jenson Button supplied a memorable chase from thirteenth to second. Fernando Alonso completed the podium after Kimi Räikkönen’s challenge ended in a frightening rear-wing failure.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:13.306
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:13.780 on lap 10
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Jenson Button	BAR
Third	Fernando Alonso	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
23 July 2004	Practice 1	11:00
23 July 2004	Practice 2	14:00
24 July 2004	Practice 3	09:00
24 July 2004	Practice 4	10:15
24 July 2004	Qualifying 1	13:00
24 July 2004	Qualifying 2	14:00
25 July 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 12 leading the 2004 F1 World Championship on 100 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 74. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 174 points.

Race entries

Antônio Antonio Pizzonia replaced Gené in Williams’s second car as Ralf Schumacher continued his recovery. Toyota introduced the TF104B, bringing substantial revisions for Olivier Panis and da Cristiano da Matta as the team pursued a stronger second half of the season.

Free Practice

Davidson led the opening session, narrowly ahead of Michael Schumacher. Timo Glock damaged his Jordan’s front wing after running over a kerb and off the track, causing a red flag. The hot conditions made tyre evaluation a priority, while Toyota began its first race-weekend work with the revised car.

Michael Schumacher went fastest in an afternoon punctuated by spins and excursions. David Coulthard had several incidents, Antonio Pizzonia spun before setting competitive times, and Juan Pablo Montoya also ran off while pushing. Jenson Button stopped late with an engine problem that would require a replacement and bring a ten-place grid penalty.

Michael Schumacher headed Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello on Saturday morning. Takuma Sato spun early and lost valuable preparation time, limiting BAR’s progress on his side of the garage. The interruption mattered with qualifying approaching, while the rest of the field continued adapting to cooler conditions than those encountered on Friday.

Jenson Button set the final session’s quickest lap, comfortably ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, despite already knowing that his engine penalty would compromise his starting position. The McLarens also showed strong pace. Giorgio Pantano and Zsolt Baumgartner damaged their cars over kerbs, and Takuma Sato remained short of running after his earlier mistake.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2004 German Grand Prix FP1, 23 July 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	1:15.756	32
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.108s	11
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.562s	8
4	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+0.584s	36
5	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+0.695s	11
6	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.728s	20
7	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.737s	16
8	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.788s	12
9	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.039s	14
10	4	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	+1.089s	14
11	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.160s	8
12	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.355s	21
13	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.386s	11
14	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.605s	18
15	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.731s	14
16	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.770s	14
17	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+1.958s	20
18	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+2.501s	15
19	39	Timo Glock	Jordan	+3.012s	17
20	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+3.054s	9
21	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+3.332s	17
22	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	+3.514s	14
23	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+4.203s	13
24	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+4.273s	17
25	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2004 German Grand Prix FP2, 23 July 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:15.001	27
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.044s	18
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.166s	25
4	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.378s	23
5	4	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	+0.469s	25
6	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.575s	33
7	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+0.656s	21
8	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.676s	30
9	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.737s	19
10	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+1.199s	38
11	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.264s	18
12	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+1.341s	28
13	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.513s	27
14	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.659s	32
15	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+1.853s	31
16	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.864s	30
17	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+2.025s	26
18	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.299s	26
19	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+2.418s	23
20	39	Timo Glock	Jordan	+2.723s	25
21	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+2.868s	24
22	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+3.097s	21
23	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	+3.223s	17
24	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+3.242s	23
25	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+3.308s	25

Free Practice 3 Classification

2004 German Grand Prix FP3, 24 July 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:15.066	11
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.211s	5
3	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.288s	10
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.560s	6
5	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.773s	10
6	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.816s	7
7	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.853s	7
8	4	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	+1.085s	12
9	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+1.166s	9
10	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+1.268s	5
11	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.391s	8
12	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.396s	5
13	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.466s	8
14	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+1.584s	5
15	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.895s	7
16	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+2.303s	10
17	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+3.132s	11
18	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+3.848s	4
19	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+6.222s	9
20	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	No time	4

Free Practice 4 Classification

2004 German Grand Prix FP4, 24 July 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:13.676	15
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.300s	11
3	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.388s	11
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.424s	14
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.644s	12
6	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.717s	12
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.783s	14
8	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.792s	15
9	4	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	+1.090s	10
10	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.115s	19
11	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.277s	16
12	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.324s	25
13	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+1.805s	20
14	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+1.896s	10
15	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.912s	10
16	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+3.156s	16
17	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+4.551s	13
18	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+5.015s	15

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher took pole, with Juan Pablo Montoya alongside. Jenson Button was third quickest but dropped ten places for his engine change, promoting Kimi Räikkönen to third on the grid. The penalty left BAR’s fastest driver facing a substantial recovery task.

Antonio Pizzonia impressed in the first qualifying run but could not repeat that performance when the grid was decided. Toyota’s revised car also remained a work in progress, with da Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis in the midfield rather than challenging the leaders.

Qualifying Classification

2004 German Grand Prix Qualifying, 24 July 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	First qualifying	Second qualifying	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:14.042	1:13.306	6
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:13.391	1:13.668	6
3	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:13.535	1:13.674	6
4	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:13.842	1:13.690	6
5	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:13.640	1:13.821	6
6	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:13.582	1:13.874	6
7	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:13.737	1:14.134	6
8	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:14.111	1:14.278	6
9	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:14.465	1:14.287	6
10	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:13.641	1:14.368	6
11	4	Antônio Pizzonia	Williams	1:13.422	1:14.556	6
12	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:15.093	1:14.802	6
13	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	1:15.090	1:15.011	6
14	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	1:13.914	1:15.395	6
15	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:15.119	1:15.454	6
16	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:13.899	1:15.616	6
17	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	1:16.167	1:16.192	6
18	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	1:16.538	1:16.310	6
19	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	1:17.283	1:18.055	6
20	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	1:17.515	1:18.400	6

Jenson Button received a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change.

What happened in the 2004 German Grand Prix?

An aborted start after Olivier Panis stalled reduced the race to 66 laps. Michael Schumacher led away, while Juan Pablo Montoya slipped backwards and Fernando Alonso moved into second. Rubens Barrichello damaged his front wing against David Coulthard at the hairpin. Kimi Räikkönen passed Fernando Alonso and began closing on Schumacher before his rear wing failed at the first corner, sending him into the barriers; he escaped injury.

Jenson Button charged through the field despite trouble with his helmet strap, which forced him to hold it at times. He worked past Juan Pablo Montoya and later overtook Fernando Alonso for second. The Renault had lost performance, while Schumacher’s earlier advantage gave him room to manage the closing stages.

Michael Schumacher won from Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, with David Coulthard fourth and Juan Pablo Montoya fifth. Mark Webber, Antonio Pizzonia and Takuma Sato completed the points. Antonio Pizzonia scored on his first Williams appearance, while Jenson Button’s recovery underlined the opportunity BAR had lost through its engine penalty.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 110 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 74. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 184, with Renault on 85.

2004 German Grand Prix race results

The 2004 German Grand Prix was held on 25 July 2004, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	66	1:23:54.848	10
2	9	Jenson Button	BAR	66	+ 8.388	8
3	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	66	+ 16.351	6
4	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	66	+ 19.231	5
5	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	66	+ 23.055	4
6	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	66	+ 41.108	3
7	4	Antônio Pizzonia	Williams	66	+ 41.956	2
8	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	66	+ 46.842	1
9	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	66	+ 1:07.102	0
10	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	66	+ 1:08.578	0
11	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	66	+ 1:10.258	0
12	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	66	+ 1:13.252	0
13	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	65	+ 1 Lap	0
14	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	65	+ 1 Lap	0
15	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	63	+ 3 Laps	0
16	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	62	+ 4 Laps	0
17	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	62	+ 4 Laps	0
Ret	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	42	Handling	0
Ret	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	38	Puncture	0
Ret	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	13	Rear Wing/Accident	0

Olivier Panis started the race from the pitlane.

2004 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	10	1:13.780	223.182
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	5	1:13.783	223.173
3	9	Jenson Button	BAR	11	1:14.117	222.167
4	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	59	1:14.247	221.778
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	8	1:14.265	221.724
6	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	9	1:14.386	221.364
7	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	10	1:14.446	221.185
8	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	8	1:14.558	220.853
9	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	29	1:14.585	220.773
10	4	Antonio Pizzonia	Williams	65	1:14.586	220.770
11	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	65	1:14.883	219.895
12	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	59	1:14.963	219.660
13	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	33	1:15.045	219.420
14	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	20	1:15.145	219.128
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	39	1:15.635	217.708
16	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	63	1:16.058	216.497
17	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	61	1:16.248	215.958
18	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	20	1:16.903	214.119
19	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	52	1:18.372	210.105
20	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	18	1:18.760	209.070

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 German Grand Prix.

2004 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	110
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	74
3	Jenson Button	British	BAR	61
4	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	46
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	39
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	33
7	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	19
8	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	18
9	Takuma Sato	Japanese	BAR	15
10	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Sauber	13
11	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	12
12	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	7
13	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Sauber	5
14	Olivier Panis	French	Toyota	5
15	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	3
16	Nick Heidfeld	German	Jordan	3
17	Timo Glock	German	Jordan	2
18	Antônio Pizzonia	Brazilian	Williams	2
19	Zsolt Baumgartner	Hungarian	Minardi	1
20	Christian Klien	Austrian	Jaguar	0
21	Marc Gené	Spanish	Williams	0
22	Giorgio Pantano	Italian	Jordan	0
23	Gianmaria Bruni	Italian	Minardi	0

2004 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	184
2	Renault	85
3	BAR	76
4	Williams	47
5	McLaren	37
6	Sauber	18
7	Toyota	8
8	Jaguar	7
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