2004 Canadian Grand Prix

The 2004 Canadian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2004 ) [ 3 ] was a Formula One motor race held on 13 June 2004 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve . It was Race 8 of 18 in the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship .

It was won by Michael Schumacher , with teammate Rubens Barrichello second, making for a 1-2 finish for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro as part of a season where Ferrari took the most wins of the season and the driver's championship .

This would be the last time that Scuderia Ferrari won in Canada until 2018 and the last time that more than two cars were disqualified from a race until the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix .

The bottom 6 teams in the 2003 Constructors' Championship were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but were not scheduled to compete in qualifying or the race.

The 2004 Canadian Grand Prix nearly did not happen, originally being dropped from the calendar in 2003 but later reinstated. The issue was to do with tobacco sponsorship. [ 4 ]

After the start, Fernando Alonso was up to third behind pole sitter Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button . Jordan debutante Timo Glock took advantage of the second corner tangle and managed to find himself in 10th. As the race progressed, Rubens Barrichello moved ahead of Kimi Räikkönen into 6th position, as Glock was forced back by faster cars. Sauber 's Felipe Massa battled with the ailing Takuma Sato for 14th, as Coulthard moved up to 12th, with the Toyotas in a strong 8th and 9th. The McLaren's...

Nick Heidfeld was involved in an incident in the pit lane where the lollipop man lifted whilst the fuel hose was still attached, and the fuel man Mick Gomme was dragged along as the Jordan pulled away. [ 5 ] The Saubers were on a long first stint and Giancarlo Fisichella did not pit until lap 25, surprisingly rejoining in the points. Meanwhile, Button was closing the gap to Ralf Schumacher, as Montoya did likewise to Ralf's older brother Michael.

Minardi 's Gianmaria Bruni was hauled in for a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, but retired with gearbox failure shortly after. Ralf pitted again on lap 33, and rejoined in 3rd whilst Coulthard narrowly missed another collision with a fiery Christian Klien. In the second stint, Barrichello was seemingly much faster than his teammate Michael Schumacher , but could not find a way past the reigning champion. Alonso began to fly in fourth, as the adventurous Klien took an airborne...

Ralf Schumacher then took his third and final stop, and so too did Montoya and Button. Takuma Sato 's disappointing afternoon ended with the Honda engine exploding. As the final stages of the race approached, Michael Schumacher led brother Ralf, with Barrichello, Button, and Montoya following, and Räikkönen in sixth. Räikkönen then had to make yet another pit stop to change his steering wheel, dropping the Finn down to 7th.

With a few laps left to go, Felipe Massa suffered a rear suspension failure at the hairpin, a wheel flying beyond the retaining fence (nobody was injured) as his Sauber flew into the tyre barrier. The Brazilian was taken to hospital for precautionary tests, but was basically unharmed. Christian Klien continued an entertaining afternoon by spinning 360 degrees, narrowly avoiding a surprised Timo Glock.

39°47′42″N 86°14′05″W  /  39.79500°N 86.23472°W  / 39.79500; -86.23472