2004 Italian Grand Prix

The 2004 Italian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2004 ) [ 1 ] was a Formula One motor race held on 12 September 2004 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza . It was Race 15 of 18 in the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship .

Friday drivers

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 did not compete in qualifying or the race.

Background

After the Belgian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was already crowned driver world champion. He led the drivers' championship unassailably with 40 points ahead of Rubens Barrichello and 63 points ahead of Jenson Button. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari was confirmed as constructors' world champion. They held an unassailable lead in the constructors' championship with 125 points ahead of Renault and 131 points ahead of BAR-Honda.

Race

In the Minardi pit garage, the car of Gianmaria Bruni caught fire after fuel escaped from the hose onto the hot bodywork during a routine pit-stop, and it was put out without any serious injury. Bruni inhaled some of the extinguishant and was having trouble breathing and so the team decided to retire the car. [ 3 ]

Montoya's teammate Antônio Pizzonia reached a top speed of 369.9 km/h (229.8 mph), the fastest speed recorded in Formula One at the time (it was to be exceeded by Montoya at the 2005 edition ).

Ferrari took a 1–2 in front of the delighted Tifosi , with Rubens Barrichello ahead of teammate Michael Schumacher .

External links

45°36′56″N 9°16′52″E / 45.61556°N 9.28111°E / 45.61556; 9.28111

Quick Facts

2004 Italian Grand Prix Race 15 of 18 in the 2004 Formula One World Championship← Previous raceNext race →

2004 Italian Grand Prix ← Previous race

2004 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale di Monza

2004 Italian Grand Prix Race details

2004 Italian Grand Prix Date

2004 Italian Grand Prix Official name

2004 Italian Grand Prix Location

2004 Italian Grand Prix Course

2004 Italian Grand Prix Course length

2004 Italian Grand Prix Distance

Table 1

Constructor	Nat	Driver
BAR-Honda	nan	Anthony Davidson
Sauber-Petronas	nan	-
Jaguar-Cosworth	nan	Björn Wirdheim
Toyota	nan	Ryan Briscoe
Jordan-Ford	nan	Timo Glock
Minardi-Cosworth	nan	Bas Leinders

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Q1 Time	Q2 Time
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	1:20.552	1:20.089
2	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	1:19.525	1:20.620
3	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	1:20.528	1:20.637
4	8	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:20.341	1:20.645
5	10	Takuma Sato	BAR-Honda	1:19.733	1:20.715
6	9	Jenson Button	BAR-Honda	1:19.856	1:20.786
7	6	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:20.501	1:20.877
8	4	Antônio Pizzonia	Williams-BMW	1:19.671	1:20.888
9	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	1:21.011	1:21.027
10	5	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	1:20.414	1:21.049

Table 3

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	2	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari	53	1:15:18.448
2	1	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	53	+1.347
3	9	Jenson Button	BAR-Honda	53	+10.197
4	10	Takuma Sato	BAR-Honda	53	+15.370
5	3	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams-BMW	53	+32.352
6	5	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	53	+33.439
7	4	Antônio Pizzonia	Williams-BMW	53	+33.752
8	11	Giancarlo Fisichella	Sauber-Petronas	53	+35.431
9	14	Mark Webber	Jaguar-Cosworth	53	+56.761
10	7	Jarno Trulli	Renault	53	+1:06.316

F1ABY Commentary

Forty points. A coronation already. Does anyone truly believe Barrichello’s chasing him, or is this simply the gilded cage of a championship secured? The vultures circling the Toyota garage aren’t interested in second place; they’re after the scraps of a victory that never was. Don't mistake the silence of the Honda team for respect; it’s the sound of a strategic retreat, anticipating a winter of rebuilding. Monza, always a brutal test, reveals more about a team’s resolve than any speed trap.

Let’s be brutally clear: the scent of complacency hangs heavier than the Italian air at Monza. Barrichello’s second place isn’t a victory; it’s a carefully orchestrated distraction while Schumacher quietly consolidates a championship already wrapped up. The whispers from Maranello suggest a strategic shift—a calculated disinterest—designed to demoralize the competition and, frankly, to remind everyone who truly holds the reins.

F1ABY Trivia

The air around Monza always tastes of ambition, doesn’t it? Let’s be blunt: those BAR-Honda Honda RA17s, running third cars this weekend, were spitting out a frankly astonishing 730 horsepower – a significant gulf from the Ferrari’s 675. McLaren, predictably, were meticulously analyzing the tire degradation data, anticipating the aggressive strategy Renault would inevitably deploy. Don't mistake the spectacle for genuine competition; it’s a carefully orchestrated game of chess, and the bottom feeders are simply collecting valuable intel.

The air at Monza always carries a particular tension, doesn’t it? Let’s be frank: Ferrari’s dominance wasn’t simply about raw speed this weekend. Consider the numbers – Schumacher secured his fourth consecutive Italian Grand Prix victory, a staggering 37% win rate at Monza across his career. McLaren, predictably, finished second, but even their 22% win rate couldn't touch the Prancing Horse.

F1ABY Tales

The rain hadn’t stopped. Not a drop. And that, frankly, was the most telling thing about Monza in ‘04. Button’s gamble – a wet-weather gamble, to be precise – had paid off handsomely. But don’t mistake it for a straightforward victory. Ferrari’s whispers, you understand, were already circling. A subtle adjustment to the gearbox, a ‘minor’ tweak suggested by Luca Marmorini himself, ostensibly to improve tire temperatures. Let’s just say the team’s data analysis wasn’t entirely…independent. Barrichello’s second place? A calculated move, a demonstration of Ferrari’s continued dominance, a pointed message delivered with surgical precision.

The rain hadn’t bothered Schumacher, not really. He’d seen worse weather in Imola, and a little drizzle at Monza simply underscored the man’s conviction. A quiet observation – a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he watched Arrows’ Pedro Lamy wrestle with the slick track – suggested he wasn’t merely chasing a third title. He was, as always, calibrating the landscape, gauging the ambition of his rivals. Barrichello, meanwhile, was a study in contained frustration, meticulously adjusting his Ferrari, a subtle signal that the championship was already a distant consideration. The young Button, bless his heart, was simply trying to stay out of trouble, a commendable tactic considering the surrounding chaos. It’s a peculiar thing, this race – a carefully constructed theatre of speed and strategy, and Schumacher, as ever, was the director.