Ferrari F2004
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Scuderia Ferrari | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) | Ross Brawn (Technical Director) Rory Byrne (Chief Designer) Aldo Costa (Head of Design) John Iley (Head of Aerodynamics) | ||||||||||
| 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°) 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 | 850–1,000 horsepower (630–750 kW) @ 18,300 RPM | ||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 1.  Michael Schumacher2.  Rubens Barrichello | ||||||||||
| Debut | 2004 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 1 (2004) | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (2004, Michael Schumacher) | ||||||||||
The 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, Aldo Costa and John Iley with Ross Brawn playing a vital role in leading the production of the car as the team's Technical Director and Paolo Martinelli leading the engine design. Heavily based on the previous season's F2003-GA,[1] 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
The 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.[2]
Performance
The 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 a single-season record of 13 races (Sebastian Vettel equaled this number in 2013) and gained a record breaking seventh World Championship, 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.[3] In France, Schumacher won, beating Fernando Alonso's Renault after an innovative four stop pit strategy, such was the car's dominance.[4]
After the 2004 season the car was developed further as a testbed for 2005 and 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.[5]
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
The fastest laps at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Nürburgring GP-Strecke, Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Autodromo Nazionale Monza and Shanghai International Circuit all remain the current lap records, even though three out of these six tracks are still used in F1 as of 2019.
Michael Schumacher's son Mick drove the car at the 2019 German Grand Prix, honouring 15 years since his father's final world championship.[6]
Complete Formula One results
(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
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
