Spanish GP 2004: Schumacher wins despite exhaust damage

Michael Schumacher won the 2004 Spanish GP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from pole position. His team-mate Rubens Barrichello followed him home in second place, giving Ferrari a one-two. Jarno Trulli finished third for Renault. The race was decided during the first round of pit stops. After that, Schumacher brought his Ferrari home despite a cracked exhaust.

The start was not won by the polesitter. Trulli launched from fourth on the grid and was already in front by the first corner. Juan Pablo Montoya made a poor getaway from second in the Williams and dropped to fourth. Schumacher held second and kept Takuma Sato behind him at the first turn. Sato had started third in the BAR. Schumacher barely put up a fight against Trulli: “I left open the door and let him do what he was obviously superbly doing”, he said later, according to Autosport.

Trulli led the first eight laps. According to Crash.net, he set the fastest lap twice during this phase. Because overtaking was difficult in Barcelona, the order barely changed until the first stops. Before the start, a pitch invader had caused a stir: the man known as “Jimmy Jump” ran across the grid during the formation lap and was restrained by security staff.

Trulli was the first to pit. From lap 9, Schumacher led. Once he too had come in for tyres and fuel, Barrichello took over the lead from lap 11. He was on a two-stop strategy with a long first stint and, according to Crash.net and Autosport, at times held a lead of around ten seconds over his team-mate.

After his stop, Barrichello lost pace on fresh tyres and a full tank. From lap 18, Schumacher was back in front. According to Crash.net, seven laps after the Ferraris' first stops he was already 22 seconds ahead of Barrichello. At Barrichello's second stop the tyres were not ready in time, costing him further seconds. That effectively settled the race.

Even so, it was not an entirely relaxed afternoon for Ferrari. During the race, Schumacher's engine sounded noticeably different. Technical director Ross Brawn identified a cracked exhaust and radioed that there was not much they could do other than hope the part would hold. Schumacher eased off, managed his lead and won by 13.290 seconds from Barrichello. He also set the fastest lap of the race.

The win carried weight: it was Schumacher's 75th Grand Prix victory and his 200th race start. He had also won the first five races of the season, which according to Crash.net equalled Nigel Mansell's record from 1992.

Behind the Ferraris, the two Renaults fought for the podium. Fernando Alonso had started his home race only eighth on the grid. During the pit stops he got past slower cars and closed right up on Trulli in the closing stages. But Trulli kept him behind and crossed the line 0.658 seconds ahead of his team-mate. According to Crash.net, he was not fully fit that weekend. Sato dropped from third on the grid to fifth, while Ralf Schumacher finished sixth in the Williams.

Montoya's race ended after 46 laps with brake problems. At his final pit stop he ran over his front jack man after the brakes had failed completely. “The brake pedal was very long all day”, he said, according to Autosport. The other retirements:

• Zsolt Baumgartner (Minardi): spin, after 17 laps
• Gianmaria Bruni (Minardi): spin, after 31 laps
• Olivier Panis (Toyota): hydraulics, after 33 laps. According to Crash.net, he had earlier received a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
• Nick Heidfeld (Jordan): hydraulics, after 33 laps
• Christian Klien (Jaguar): throttle, after 43 laps
• Giorgio Pantano (Jordan): steering, after 51 laps

Felipe Massa made up the most places. He went from 17th on the grid to ninth in the Sauber, a gain of eight positions. Jenson Button started 14th and still scored a point in eighth, a lap down. According to Crash.net, he had to slow down in the final laps because of a technical problem. Giancarlo Fisichella climbed from twelfth to seventh and, with a two-stop strategy, scored his first points of the season and Sauber's first.

Montoya lost the most: he retired from second on the grid and was not classified. Panis slipped well down the order from seventh on the grid before retiring. It was a disappointing day for McLaren: David Coulthard and Kimi Räikkönen finished tenth and eleventh, a lap down, and scored no points. Mark Webber (twelfth from ninth on the grid) and Cristiano da Matta (13th) also came away empty-handed.

After five of 18 races, Schumacher led the 2004 drivers' championship with 50 points. Barrichello had 32 points, Button 24. Alonso and Trulli were fourth and fifth with 21 points each. Montoya's retirement dropped him from fourth to sixth on 18 points. In the constructors' championship, Ferrari already had 82 points, almost double Renault's tally (42). BAR followed with 32 and Williams with 30 points. McLaren had just 5 points.

Barcelona showed what defined the 2004 season: even with a damaged car and a lost start, Schumacher was unbeatable. Next up was the 2004 Monaco GP.