2004 Spanish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Michael Schumacher made his 200th Grand Prix start another winning occasion, overcoming an exhaust problem to lead a Ferrari one-two. Rubens Barrichello finished second at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Jarno Trulli holding off home favourite Fernando Alonso for third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Pole time	1:15.022
Fastest lap	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:17.450 on lap 12
First	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
Second	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
Third	Jarno Trulli	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
7 May 2004	Practice 1	11:00
7 May 2004	Practice 2	14:00
8 May 2004	Practice 3	09:00
8 May 2004	Practice 4	10:15
8 May 2004	Qualifying 1	13:00
8 May 2004	Qualifying 2	14:00
9 May 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 5 leading the 2004 F1 World Championship on 40 points, with Rubens Barrichello on 24. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 64 points.

Race entries

The same 20 race drivers returned for the Spanish Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso carried the home crowd’s hopes, while BAR aimed to build on Jenson Button’s first pole at Imola and Toyota sought its first points of the season.

Free Practice

Ferrari headed the opening session, with Michael Schumacher ahead of Rubens Barrichello. Familiarity with Barcelona from winter testing did not remove the need to adapt to the weekend’s conditions. Williams compared different set-ups and checked new aerodynamic parts, while Toyota used Ricardo Zonta’s third car for tyre comparisons informed by its recent Mugello test.

Jenson Button took the afternoon honours as light rain and changing conditions complicated the teams’ work. Ferrari weighed a tyre offering stronger initial pace against one with more consistent long-run performance. Ricardo Zonta completed a long run to confirm Toyota’s choice, and Juan Pablo Montoya struggled to find a satisfactory set-up as the weather and grip changed around him.

Jenson Button remained fastest in the first Saturday session, but Jarno Trulli and Juan Pablo Montoya were within a tenth. That close contest mattered at a circuit where overtaking was difficult and grid position could dictate the opening stint. The front-running teams had still to translate their practice pace into a single clean lap with race fuel aboard.

Takuma Sato put the other BAR on top in final practice, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. Toyota lost Olivier Panis’s running to an electrical problem, leaving him to approach qualifying without the final session’s preparation. The contrast was striking: BAR could refine an increasingly competitive car, while Olivier Panis had to rely on the work already completed.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2004 Spanish Grand Prix FP1, 7 May 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:15.658	8
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.375s	8
3	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.958s	26
4	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+0.981s	26
5	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+1.402s	6
6	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.507s	12
7	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.771s	11
8	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+1.823s	6
9	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+1.831s	6
10	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.905s	5
11	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.977s	10
12	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+2.105s	11
13	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+2.315s	7
14	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+2.683s	16
15	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+2.704s	12
16	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+2.945s	20
17	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+2.957s	14
18	39	Timo Glock	Jordan	+2.997s	23
19	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+3.102s	11
20	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+3.228s	12
21	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+3.540s	16
22	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+4.267s	14
23	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+5.200s	16
24	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	+5.395s	21
25	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+5.877s	17

Free Practice 2 Classification

2004 Spanish Grand Prix FP2, 7 May 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:15.935	19
2	35	Anthony Davidson	BAR	+0.253s	34
3	38	Ricardo Zonta	Toyota	+0.425s	37
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.498s	25
5	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.599s	20
6	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.763s	28
7	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.794s	25
8	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.799s	20
9	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+0.863s	17
10	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+0.898s	24
11	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.990s	23
12	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+1.132s	27
13	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.134s	16
14	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.243s	31
15	39	Timo Glock	Jordan	+1.673s	31
16	37	Bjorn Wirdheim	Jaguar	+1.741s	21
17	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.971s	22
18	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+2.035s	4
19	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+2.066s	24
20	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+2.182s	23
21	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+2.791s	21
22	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+3.214s	17
23	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+4.378s	15
24	40	Bas Leinders	Minardi	+6.254s	31
25	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	No time	2

Free Practice 3 Classification

2004 Spanish Grand Prix FP3, 8 May 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:15.984	10
2	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.031s	8
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.064s	4
4	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+0.249s	7
5	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.535s	8
6	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	+0.701s	11
7	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+0.737s	6
8	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.811s	8
9	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+1.122s	8
10	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.268s	8
11	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+1.293s	6
12	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.310s	4
13	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.444s	8
14	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+1.876s	7
15	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+2.659s	13
16	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+3.162s	10
17	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+3.867s	18
18	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+3.965s	12
19	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	No time	3
20	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	No time	2

Free Practice 4 Classification

2004 Spanish Grand Prix FP4, 8 May 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:14.836	13
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	+0.189s	11
3	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	+0.396s	13
4	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	+0.621s	15
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	+0.704s	12
6	9	Jenson Button	BAR	+0.791s	11
7	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	+0.932s	13
8	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.038s	12
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	+1.059s	24
10	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	+1.059s	18
11	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	+1.147s	7
12	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	+1.472s	17
13	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	+1.812s	24
14	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	+1.910s	12
15	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	+2.309s	12
16	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	+2.446s	6
17	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	+2.829s	14
18	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	+3.556s	5
19	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	+5.613s	10
20	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	+6.169s	6

Qualifying

Michael Schumacher reclaimed pole with a commanding lap, more than six tenths clear of Juan Pablo Montoya. Takuma Sato took a career-best third, followed by Jarno Trulli, Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher. Both qualifying sessions took place on Saturday, with the second lap alone deciding the grid.

Jenson Button’s mistake left him down in fourteenth despite BAR’s strong practice showing. Olivier Panis recovered from his electrical problem to qualify seventh, giving Toyota a promising starting position. Fernando Alonso began eighth at his home race, while da Cristiano da Matta struggled with increased understeer on his decisive lap and took eleventh.

Qualifying Classification

2004 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 8 May 2004

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	First qualifying	Second qualifying	Laps
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:16.320	1:15.022	6
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	1:15.574	1:15.639	6
3	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	1:16.434	1:15.809	6
4	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:16.156	1:16.144	6
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:16.655	1:16.272	6
6	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	1:16.040	1:16.293	6
7	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	1:16.168	1:16.313	6
8	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:17.011	1:16.422	6
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	1:16.212	1:16.514	6
10	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	1:16.465	1:16.636	6
11	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	1:16.758	1:17.038	6
12	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	1:15.746	1:17.444	6
13	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	1:16.240	1:17.445	6
14	9	Jenson Button	BAR	1:16.462	1:17.575	6
15	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	1:17.043	1:17.802	6
16	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	1:17.863	1:17.812	6
17	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	1:15.771	1:17.866	6
18	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	1:20.372	1:19.817	6
19	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	1:17.965	1:20.607	6
20	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	1:21.620	1:21.470	6

What happened in the 2004 Spanish Grand Prix?

Jarno Trulli launched brilliantly from fourth and led into the first corner. Michael Schumacher stayed close and moved ahead through the opening stops, but an exhaust leak then gave Ferrari an anxious afternoon. The problem changed the engine’s sound without stopping Schumacher from maintaining the pace he needed.

Rubens Barrichello’s two-stop strategy brought him ahead of Jarno Trulli and into second. Fernando Alonso recovered from his midfield starting position and closed on his team-mate late on, but could not take the final podium place. Williams suffered brake trouble, with Juan Pablo Montoya retiring and Ralf Schumacher nursing his car home.

Michael Schumacher won for the fifth consecutive time, followed by Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso. Takuma Sato finished fifth, with Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button taking the other points. Giancarlo Fisichella’s two-stop drive rewarded Sauber, while both McLarens finished a lap down outside the points.

After the race, Michael Schumacher headed the drivers’ standings with 50 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello on 32. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 82, with Renault on 42.

2004 Spanish Grand Prix race results

The 2004 Spanish Grand Prix was held on 9 May 2004, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	66	1:27:32.841	10
2	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	66	+13.290	8
3	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	66	+32.294	6
4	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	66	+32.952	5
5	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	66	+42.327	4
6	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	66	+1:13.804	3
7	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	66	+1:17.108	2
8	9	Jenson Button	BAR	65	+1 Lap	1
9	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	65	+1 Lap	0
10	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	65	+1 Lap	0
11	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	65	+1 Lap	0
12	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	65	+1 Lap	0
13	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	65	+1 Lap	0
Ret	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	51	Power steering	0
Ret	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	46	Brakes	0
Ret	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	43	Throttle	0
Ret	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	33	Hydraulics	0
Ret	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	33	Hydraulics	0
Ret	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	31	Spin	0
Ret	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	17	Spin	0

2004 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	12	1:17.450	215.070
2	9	Jenson Button	BAR	46	1:17.495	214.945
3	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	27	1:17.556	214.776
4	10	Takuma Sato	BAR	47	1:17.678	214.439
5	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	16	1:17.887	213.863
6	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	12	1:18.178	213.067
7	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams	28	1:18.262	212.838
8	4	Ralf Schumacher	Williams	27	1:18.548	212.063
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar	11	1:18.617	211.877
10	12	Felipe Massa	Sauber	43	1:18.819	211.334
11	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren	48	1:18.842	211.273
12	18	Nick Heidfeld	Jordan	25	1:18.971	210.928
13	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber	37	1:19.062	210.685
14	16	Cristiano da Matta	Toyota	29	1:19.112	210.552
15	15	Christian Klien	Jaguar	18	1:19.142	210.472
16	5	David Coulthard	McLaren	38	1:19.175	210.384
17	17	Olivier Panis	Toyota	10	1:19.199	210.320
18	19	Giorgio Pantano	Jordan	27	1:19.896	208.486
19	20	Gianmaria Bruni	Minardi	3	1:22.323	202.339
20	21	Zsolt Baumgartner	Minardi	8	1:23.390	199.750

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 Spanish Grand Prix.

2004 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Michael Schumacher	German	Ferrari	50
2	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Ferrari	32
3	Jenson Button	British	BAR	24
4	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	21
5	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Renault	21
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	Williams	18
7	Ralf Schumacher	German	Williams	12
8	Takuma Sato	Japanese	BAR	8
9	David Coulthard	British	McLaren	4
10	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Sauber	2
11	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Sauber	1
12	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	McLaren	1
13	Mark Webber	Australian	Jaguar	1
14	Cristiano da Matta	Brazilian	Toyota	0
15	Olivier Panis	French	Toyota	0
16	Christian Klien	Austrian	Jaguar	0
17	Giorgio Pantano	Italian	Jordan	0
18	Gianmaria Bruni	Italian	Minardi	0
19	Zsolt Baumgartner	Hungarian	Minardi	0
20	Nick Heidfeld	German	Jordan	0

2004 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	82
2	Renault	42
3	BAR	32
4	Williams	30
5	McLaren	5
6	Sauber	3
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