2004 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX

F1 DRIVER CHANGES 2005:

Montoya to join McLaren
Ralf Schumacher joins Toyota
Trulli joins Toyota
Fisichella to join Renault
Webber to join Williams
Villeneuve returns with Sauber

2004 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX SEASON

2004 RACE RESULTS: record 18 rounds; 20 drivers; 13 nationalities

• FINALE: R18 of 18, 24 October, 2004 Brazilian GP, Sao Paulo
  WINNER: Montoya/Williams ; POLE: Barrichello/Ferrari

• R17 of 18, 10 October, 2004, Japanese GP, Suzuka
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari

• R16 of 18, September 26, 2004, Chinese GP, Shanghai *** new ***
  WINNER: Barrichello/Ferrari ; POLE: Barrichello/Ferrari

• R15 of 18, September 12, 2004, Italian GP, Monza
  WINNER: Barrichello/Ferrari ; POLE: Barrichello/Ferrari

• R14 of 18, August 29, 2004, Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps
  WINNER: Raikkonen/McLaren ; POLE: Trulli/Renault
  *** SCHUMACHER WINS WORLD DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP - HIS 7TH ***

• R13 of 18, August 15, 2004, Hungarian GP, Budapest
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari
  *** FERRARI WINS CONSTRUCTOR CHAMPIONSHIP - 6TH IN A ROW ***
  J TODT (FERRARI): "... Today we have written another extraordinary page in this company's history book: six consecutive Constructors' titles and the certainty that one of our drivers will take the Drivers' title for a fifth consecutive time are dream results."
  *** SCHUMACHER'S RECORD 12TH WIN IN A SEASON ***

• R12 of 18, July 25, 2004, German GP, Hockenheim
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari

• R11 of 18, July 11, 2004, British GP, Silverstone
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari; POLE: Raikkonen/McLaren

• R10 of 18, July 4, 2004, French GP, Magny-Cours
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari; POLE: Alonso/Renault

• R9 of 18, June 20, 2004, US GP, Indianapolis
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari; POLE: Barrichello/Ferrari

• R8 of 18, June 13, 2004, Canadian GP, Montreal
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari; POLE: R Schumacher/Williams

• R7 of 18, May 30, 2004, European GP, Nurburgring, Germany
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari (his 60th pole)

• R6 of 18, May 23, 2004, Monaco GP, Monaco
  WINNER: Trulli/Renault ; POLE: Trulli/Renault
  *** maiden pole & maiden F1 win ***

• R5 of 18, May 9, 2004, Spanish GP, Barcelona
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari
  *** Schumacher's 5 wins equal Nigel Mansell's record set in 1992 ***

• R4 of 18, April 25, 2004, San Marino GP, Imola
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: Button/BAR Honda

• R3 of 18, April 4, 2004, Bahrain GP, Bahrain *** NEW ***
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari

• R2 of 18, March 21, 2004, Malaysian GP, Sepang
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari

• R1 of 18, March 7, 2004, Australian GP, Melbourne
  WINNER: M Schumacher/Ferrari ; POLE: M Schumacher/Ferrari

• Practice on Friday
• Qualifying on Saturday (2 back to back flying laps)
• No launch control
• Manual gear change
• Only 1 engine per car allowed for the race weekend

2004 PRE-SEASON VIEW:    

• M Schumacher (FERRARI), 2003 CHAMPION: I love to race
  "... The next season is always your toughest, but I am as motivated as ever, for the simple reason that I love to race .."

• Frank Williams (Williams BMW): ".... Our ambition can be nothing other than winning every race, steal Ferrari's crown and add another Championship title to the record. Having any less ambition at the start of the year would be wrong .."

• Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes): "... I am learning with every test and every race and every mile. I think I have more speed and self-confidence after last year. I'm more mature .."

• J Todt (FERRARI): We have a strong squad, a winning one
  ".... It’s like starting from zero all over again, as if we have forgotten the five consecutive Constructors’ titles we have won since 1999 - a record in automobile history - and the four consecutive Drivers’ championships collected since 2000 by Michael Schumacher, allowing him to become the most successful driver in F1 history. This says everything about our motivation ... This year we will have eighteen Grands Prix including the two new ones and the return of Spa. The competition will be tough because they can’t put up with Ferrari always being ahead of the pack any longer. We have a strong squad, a winning one .."

• J P Montoya (Williams BMW): "... I am very confident. I think the FW26 will be competitive straightaway.."

• P Faure (RENAULT): "... The podium must be our objective at every race ....I don't think we will be fighting for the title in 2004 but I definitely think that we can finish the season in the top three ... We must consolidate our occasional race-winning speed into a consistent, season-long challenge for victories ....We have the drivers, the people and the resources in place to do so ..."

• Tony Purnell (JAGUAR): ".. We aim to compete with the likes of Toyota, Sauber and BAR ... I don't think we're ready to go for the front guys .. I would like to think we might put a little bit of pressure on them as the season progresses .."

• R Barrichello (FERRARI): I now feel much more like a winner
  "....I can be optimistic about this coming year. Of course it will be tough, but I would like to start this year the way I finished the last one. I think I have always been a challenge for Michael and this year, the championship should be wide open and I will give it my best shot. As a driver you must always believe you can do it. After 2003, I now feel much more like a winner ! ...."

2004 TEAM / DRIVER CHANGES:

• ROOKIE DRIVERS MAKING F1 DEBUT
  Christian Klien - Jaguar
  Gianmaria Bruni - Minardi
  Giorgio Pantano - Jordan
• SAUBER DRIVER CHANGE: FISICHELLA & MASSA JOIN
• JORDAN DRIVER CHANGE: HEIDFELD & PANTANO JOIN
• MINARDI DRIVER CHANGE: BRUNI & BAUMGARTNER JOIN
• DRIVERS GONE: VILLENEUVE, FRENTZEN, WILSON, FIRMAN

• M SCHUMACHER ( after winning his 6th title surpassing Fangio's record): "... It is a limp comparison since what Fangio achieved at that time in F1 was simply exceptional ... Everything is different today, just from the safety point of view alone ... You could never have envisaged then going as fast as we do today. Comparisons are unfair ..."
  REGARDING FANGIO: " ... This man is greater than I see myself .... You can't take a personality like Fangio and compare him with what has happened today. There is not even the slightest comparison ...What he did stands for itself and what we do today is unique in another way ... I have a lot of respect for what Fangio has achieved but I don't even want to compare myself. For me, it's the team that's important. What we achieved today together with the team has never happened before  ...."

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