This article recaps the 2004 Formula One season.
Season summary
The 2004 Formula One season saw Ferrari sweep both drivers and constructors crowns, for the fifth and sixth years in a row, respectively. Michael Schumacher dominated the beginning of the year by winning a record 13 races in the first 14, easily cruising to a record seventh drivers championship. Rubens Barrichello came in a solid second place, winning two of the last four races. Young Briton Jenson Button impressed everyone; though failing to win a grand prix, he placed third in 2004, securing ten podium finishes and one pole position. Along with Japanese Takuma Sato, BAR impressed everyone by moving up to second in the title hunt behind Ferrari. This season also saw a decline in the fortunes of F1 giants McLaren and Williams. The end of 2004 also brought about the end of the Jaguar team, with Ford withdrawing its support of the team at the end of the season.
Four of the ten teams were subsidiaries of major car companies (Ferrari, Renault, Jaguar, and Toyota) and one was a division of a tobacco company (BAR). Williams and McLaren, both privately owned teams, had engine-production agreements with major car companies, BMW and Mercedes-Benz respectively, and Honda produced engines for BAR. The final three teams, Jordan, Sauber and Minardi, were also privately owned but received little substantial sponsorship, and consequently tended to end up toward the back of the grid. Sauber was privately owned, but received Ferrari engines badged under the Petronas name, and also received sponsorship from Petronas.
From the 2004 season onward, all teams who did not finish in the top four of the previous year's World Constructors Championship were allowed to run a third car on the Friday practice before a grand prix for testing purposes. Other teams have test drivers as well, though they are not allowed to compete in Friday practice; Sauber chose not to run its third driver in practice because of its expense. The names of these drivers can be found in the Other drivers section below.
Season review
2004 Constructors Championship final standings
2004 Drivers Championship final standings
2004 Friday third drivers
2004 test drivers
Notes:
- Marc Gené (Williams) raced in FRA, GBR.
- Giorgio Pantano (Jordan) raced in AUS, MAL, BAH, SPN, MON, EUR, USA, FRA, GBR, GER, HUN, ITA.
- Jacques Villeneuve (Renault) raced in CHN, JPN, BRA.
- Ricardo Zonta (Toyota) raced in HUN, BEL, ITA, CHN, BRA.
- Timo Glock (Jordan) was a third driver on Friday in Canada and also the race driver on Sunday.
