2004 Chinese GP: Barrichello wins Shanghai's inaugural race

The first Chinese Grand Prix at the new Shanghai International Circuit ended with a win from pole position for Rubens Barrichello in the Ferrari. Jenson Button (BAR) and Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren) followed in second and third. At the finish, barely a second and a half separated the three. The race was decided in the pits: Button's two-stop strategy shook up the order at the front, but Barrichello had the upper hand in the final third.

Barrichello started from pole position and got away cleanly. Räikkönen, second on the grid, followed him. Button made a poor start from third and dropped behind Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Felipe Massa (Sauber). Starting fourth, Massa had never lined up further forward in his career.

Button quickly fought back. According to Wikipedia, he passed Massa on lap 3 and Alonso on lap 6, putting him back in third. Up front, Räikkönen was glued to the Ferrari's gearbox, running less than a second behind Barrichello for long spells. But he never found a way past.

Barrichello and Räikkönen both pitted on lap 12. Button then led for two laps, followed shortly afterwards by Ralf Schumacher in the Williams for one lap. From lap 16, Barrichello was back in front.

The race revolved around refuelling. Barrichello and Räikkönen made three stops, Button only two. Räikkönen came in for the second time on lap 27, Barrichello two laps later. Button stayed out longer and led from lap 30.

McLaren had given Räikkönen only a light fuel load at his second stop, intending to get him ahead of the Ferrari. The plan didn't work: after his final stop on lap 36, the Finn rejoined behind Button. He closed in on the BAR before the chequered flag but couldn't overtake it. Team principal Ron Dennis admitted, according to grandprix.com, that the strategy had practically handed Button second place.

Button made his second and final stop on lap 35. From lap 36, Barrichello led again. He stayed ahead after his third stop too and brought a narrow lead home.

Almost everything went wrong for Michael Schumacher that weekend. In qualifying he spun at the first corner and failed to set a time. After an engine change, he eventually started from the pit lane, last of the field.

Early on he was stuck behind Olivier Panis (Toyota), who had himself dropped back because of a problem with his launch electronics. Trying to pass Christian Klien (Jaguar), he made contact. Klien retired with damaged suspension, while Schumacher carried on. He then spun, losing around ten seconds according to grandprix.com. After his first fuel stop on lap 20, he was stuck behind Jacques Villeneuve in the Renault. On lap 35 he also suffered a puncture.

In the end he finished twelfth, a lap down. At least Schumacher set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:32.238 on lap 55 – according to Wikipedia also the first lap record at the new circuit.

Four drivers failed to see the chequered flag:

• Christian Klien (Jaguar): collision with Michael Schumacher, out after lap 11.
• Ricardo Zonta (Toyota): gearbox failure, out after lap 35. According to grandprix.com, he had climbed from 13th on the grid to ninth on the opening lap.
• Ralf Schumacher (Williams): collision, out after lap 37. It was his comeback following his heavy crash at the United States GP. In the fight for seventh, David Coulthard (McLaren) attempted a late move at the hairpin and the two cars touched. Williams repaired the car, but Ralf was two laps down by then and chose not to continue. Coulthard also had to pit with a puncture and finished only ninth.
• Gianmaria Bruni (Minardi): wheel problem, out after lap 38. According to Wikipedia, he lost a wheel after an early puncture had already set him back.

BAR produced the biggest climber: Takuma Sato started 18th, gained twelve places and took three points in sixth. That put both BAR drivers in the points. Juan Pablo Montoya drove his Williams from tenth on the grid to fifth. Alonso took five points for Renault in fourth.

Among the losers was Ralf Schumacher, who came away without points after starting fifth. Massa slipped from fourth on the grid to eighth. Like his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella (seventh), he suffered from tyre graining according to grandprix.com, losing up to two seconds a lap as a result. After his botched start, Panis dropped from eighth to 14th.

In the 2004 standings, Michael Schumacher still led with 136 points despite his miserable day. Barrichello followed with 108 and Button with 79 points. With only two races remaining, Barrichello had thus secured second place in the drivers' championship. Alonso moved up to fourth on 50 points, ahead of Jarno Trulli and Montoya, both on 46.

In the constructors' standings, Ferrari were out of reach on 244 points. The fight for second remained close: BAR (105) extended their lead over Renault (96) to nine points. Behind them, Williams (64) and McLaren (58) were just six points apart.

For Barrichello it was a second consecutive win following the Italian GP. Looking ahead: it would prove to be his last win for Ferrari. He didn't win again until the 2009 European GP, by then with Brawn GP. You'll find all results and data on our 2004 Chinese GP race page.