2004 Brazilian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

Ricardo Zonta returned to his home race for the Toyota team, replacing Olivier Panis, who had retired from the sport after the previous race. It was the last race for Gianmaria Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner and the Jaguar team. It was also the last race in which Sid Watkins took part in the role of medical officer. In qualifying, Barrichello achieved the fastest lap and secured pole position ahead of Montoya and Räikkönen. It was Barrichello's 13th career pole and his last until the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Reader's Guide

The race started with a damp track. Most drivers began on intermediate tyres, with only Alonso, Villeneuve and Coulthard opting for dry tyres. At the start, Barrichello maintained the lead, but was overtaken after a few corners by Räikkönen. Montoya got off to a bad start and was relegated to fourth place. The intermediate tires soon proved unsuitable as the track dried. The first to mount dry tires was Ralf Schumacher during the 4th lap, followed by every other driver still on intermediate tires, handing Alonso the lead. After tire changes, Alonso led ahead of Montoya, Räikkönen, Ralf Schumacher, Sato, Barrichello, Villeneuve and Coulthard. Alonso gave up first place to Montoya at the end of the 18th lap when he returned to the pits to refuel. On lap 23, Webber attempted to overtake his teammate Klien, but the two came into contact; Webber retired, Klien returned to the pits to repair. Räikkönen followed Montoya closely, but the Williams driver controlled him. The second series of pit stops brought no changes in position between these four drivers, but allowed Alonso to move up to third place ahead of Ralf Schumacher. On lap 32, Sato made a mistake at the first braking, giving up fifth place to Barrichello. Montoya had a good lead over Räikkönen and was driving a car with more fuel. The third series of pit stops proved decisive. Alonso refueled on lap 47, followed by Ralf Schumacher, Barrichello, Montoya and Michael Schumacher on lap 50. Räikkönen, leading the race, pushed hard but when he made his pit stop on lap 55, he returned just one second behind Montoya. Behind him, Barrichello prevailed against his direct competitors for third place. A queue of cars formed behind him, with Alonso a few tenths ahead of Sato, Ralf Schumacher and Michael Schumacher. At the front, Räikkönen tried in vain to put pressure on Montoya, but the Colombian took his first win of the season ahead of Räikkönen, Barrichello, Alonso and Ralf Schumacher. For Montoya it was the 4th victory of his career, and for Williams it was the last victory until the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. It would be Barrichello's first finish at Interlagos in ten years and his only podium, with third place; his previous finish at the circuit being at the season opening in 1994 (a fourth place).

Did You Know?

• 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.
• Gianmaria Bruni did not get time in Q2 due to suspension problems.
• Michael Schumacher, Zsolt Baumgartner and Gianmaria Bruni received a 10-place grid penalty for engine changes.