The Ferrari F2004 is a highly successful Formula One racing car that was used by Ferrari for the 2004 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Rory Byrne, Ignazio Lunetta, Aldo Costa, Marco Fainello, John Iley and James Allison with Ross Brawn playing a vital role in leading the production of the car as the team's Technical Director and Paolo Martinelli assisted by Giles Simon leading the engine design and operations.
 Michael Schumacher driving the F2004 at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Scuderia Ferrari | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) | Ross Brawn (Technical Director) Rory Byrne (Chief Designer) Ignazio Lunetta (Head of R&D) Aldo Costa (Head of Chassis Design) Marco Fainello (Head of Vehicle Dynamics) John Iley (Head of Aerodynamics) James Allison (Chief Aerodynamicist) Paolo Martinelli (Engine Technical Director) Gilles Simon (Engine Chief Designer) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | F2003-GA | ||||||||||
| Successor | F2005 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre & Honeycomb composite structure | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Independent suspension, pushrod activated torsion springs | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Independent suspension, pushrod activated torsion springs | ||||||||||
| Length | 4,545 mm (179 in) | ||||||||||
| Width | 1,796 mm (71 in) | ||||||||||
| Height | 959 mm (38 in) | ||||||||||
| Engine | Ferrari Tipo 053 3.0 L (183 cu in) V10 (90°) (max: 18800 rpm) naturally-aspirated in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout | ||||||||||
| Transmission | In-house Ferrari 7-speed + 1 reverse sequential semi-automatic paddle-shift with limited-slip differential | ||||||||||
| Power | 865 horsepower (645 kW) @ 18,300 rpm (race-spec)[1][2][3] 900–940 horsepower (670–700 kW) @ 19,000 rpm (qualifying trim)[4][5] | ||||||||||
| Weight | 605 kg (1,334 lb) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Shell Fuel | ||||||||||
| Lubricants | Shell Lubricant | ||||||||||
| Brakes | Carbon brake discs, pads and calipers | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Bridgestone BBS Racing Wheels : 13" | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 1.  Michael Schumacher2.  Rubens Barrichello | ||||||||||
| Debut | 2004 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 2004 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 2004 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 1 (2004) | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (2004, Michael Schumacher) | ||||||||||
Heavily based on the previous season's F2003-GA,[6] the F2004 continued the run of success the team had enjoyed since 1999, winning the team's 6th straight Constructors' Championship and 5th straight Drivers' Championship for Michael Schumacher, his 7th, and final, world drivers' title in 2004. It is one of the most dominant cars in the history of Formula One. The car also brought a close to Ferrari's and Michael Schumacher's five-year domination of the sport, leaving the door open for Renault and Fernando Alonso.
Ferrari used 'Marlboro' logos, except at the Canadian, United States, French and British Grands Prix.
Design
editThe car was based on the same design principles pioneered in the F2002 but taken a step further. The periscope exhausts were smaller and mounted closer to the car's centre line, the rear wing was enlarged and the rear suspension redesigned to reduce tyre wear, a major problem in the F2003-GA. The engine was designed to last a full weekend in accordance with the FIA's technical regulations for the season. As a result, the gearbox also had to be redesigned to be more resilient. The rear end aerodynamics were improved and the car featured a shorter wheelbase.[7] Launch control and fully-automatic gearboxes were also banned for 2004, meaning the driver had to start using the paddle-shifters, and find the effective bite point and release the clutch manually, again. These electronic driver aids had been used by the team for the previous three seasons, since the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
Performance
editThe car was as successful as the equally dominant F2002, winning 15 out of 18 races, and scoring 12 pole positions including many lap records. Michael Schumacher won 13 races, setting a single-season record (Sebastian Vettel equaled this number in 2013) which lasted until 2022 when Max Verstappen won 15 races, and gained a record breaking seventh World Championship (since equaled by Lewis Hamilton in 2020), while Ferrari was a clear winner in the Constructors' Championship. The F2004 was also extremely reliable, retiring from just two races and both of these were via collisions.[14] In France, Schumacher won, beating Fernando Alonso's Renault after an innovative four stop pit strategy.[15]
After the 2004 season the car was developed further as a testbed for 2005. A revised version, the F2004M was used in the first two races. Despite a podium finish in the 2005 Australian Grand Prix, the car was retired to make way for its successor, the F2005, at the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix.[16]
In all, the car scored 272 championship points in its career, but its championship in 2004 also marked the end of Ferrari's Constructors' Championship winning streak, beginning with the 1999 Formula One season.
The F2004 was used as the basis for the 2008 "Powered by Ferrari" A1 Grand Prix car.
Legacy
editThe fastest race laps at Magny-Cours, Monza and Shanghai remain the current lap records, despite Monza remaining on the F1 calendar through the 2023 season, showing the competitiveness of the F2004 against modern cars some twenty years younger.
Michael Schumacher's son Mick drove the car at the 2019 German Grand Prix, honouring 15 years since his father's final world championship.[17]
Mick Schumacher also drove the car around the track before the start of the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix to celebrate Ferrari's 1000th Grand Prix.[18]
Other
editThe car was featured in Assetto Corsa in the Ferrari 70th Anniversary Pack, Formula One 04 and like the Ferrari F2007, it was also featured in F1 2017, F1 2018, F1 2019 and F1 2020 games.
Complete Formula One results
edit(key) (results in bold indicate pole position, results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | F2004 | Ferrari V10 | B | AUS | MAL | BHR | SMR | ESP | MON | EUR | CAN | USA | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | CHN | JPN | BRA | 262 | 1st | ||
| Michael Schumacher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||
| Rubens Barrichello | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 3 | ||||||||
| 2005 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | F2004M | Ferrari V10 | B | AUS | MAL | BHR | SMR | ESP | MON | EUR | CAN | USA | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | TUR | ITA | BEL | BRA | JPN | CHN | 100* | 3rd | |
| Michael Schumacher | Ret | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rubens Barrichello | 2 | Ret |
* 10 points scored with the F2004M
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Ferrari F2004 (2004) - Ferrari.com". www.ferrari.com.
- ^ "Ferrari F2004 specs, 0-60, quarter mile". FastestLaps.com.
- ^ "Ferrari F2004 - Remembering One of the Best Formula One Cars Ever". SnapLap. February 20, 2017.
- ^ "Ferrari F2004 - F1technical.net". www.f1technical.net.
- ^ "Bore and stroke on early 2000,s V10 engines - F1technical.net". www.f1technical.net.
- ^ Leonardo Acerbi (2006). Ferrari: A Complete Guide to All Models. MotorBooks International. pp. 361–. ISBN 978-0-7603-2550-6. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
The Ferrari F2004 looked like a logical evolution of the previous season's F2003-GA, at least as far as its exterior lines were concerned. But a more careful examination of it confirmed the new car was the result of detailed refinement, partially ...
- ^ "Ferrari F2004". www.f1technical.net. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Traction Control to Stay in F1 in 2004 - F1 - Autosport". autosport.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "FIA makes massive changes to F1; several technological enhancements banned". Autoweek. 14 January 2003. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Knutson: F1 shifting gears, literally". ESPN.com. 22 February 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Less electronics will make life interesting". au.motorsport.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "F1 2004 - Australian GP Highlights (Greek Subs)" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "- YouTube". www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Ferrari F2004 – Remembering One of the Best Formula One Cars Ever". www.snaplap.net. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "A victory built on four pit-stops". formula1.ferrari.com. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "The F2005 unveiled". formula1.ferrari.com. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Mick Schumacher takes father's Ferrari F2004 for a spin". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Mick Schumacher to drive his father's 2004 Ferrari at Mugello ahead of team's 1000th GP". formula1.com. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.