ATLAS F1 - THE JOURNAL OF FORMULA ONE MOTORSPORT
The 2004 Canadian GP Review

By Tom Keeble, USA
Atlas F1 Magazine Writer



Schumacher won for seventh time this seasonWhatever the merits or otherwise of the racing in Canada, the event will always be remembered for the disqualification of Williams and Toyota: both were discovered in post-race scrutineering to be running cooling ducts that didn't conform to all the dimensional limits, and found themselves excluded from the results.

"The front brake ducts of Ralf and Juan Pablo's cars are not in accordance with the regulations," William's Technical Director Sam Michael said. "It was a mistake and it was unintentional. There was no performance gain and no gain for brake cooling because the inlet area was not bigger. However the ducts are not in compliance with the technical regulations. Therefore we accept the FIA's decision."

Considering the form of the reigning World Champion, it is not a huge surprise that Michael Schumacher comfortably took his seventh victory in Canada, which takes nothing away from his excellent drive: to win, he had to fend off charges from Williams' Juan Montoya, and teammate Rubens Barrichello and maximise an effective two-stop strategy to win from sixth on the grid.

As usual, he was effusive with his praise for the team: "I don't know why I have won so often here - I guess its down to a good package and a bit of luck. Everything went to plan today. We thought it would be hard to get pole so we concentrated our strategy on the race. The pit stops were great and the car preparation was fantastic."

Barrichello didn't have a bad race - having started from seventh, he pushed strongly, overtaking Kimi Raikkonen after aggressively harassing the Finn early on, and with better fortune, and not making a mistake at turn eight at a critical moment, he might have won. Schumacher recognised the danger: "Rubens pushed me very hard and it would have been much more critical for me if he had got past. We had chosen different tyres and I was thinking he had made the best choice!"

At least he put to rest the myth that he is happy to sit behind his teammate. Of course, it raised another question, of whether Ferrari ought to have asked Schumacher to let his teammate through, as the Brazilian might then have beaten Ralf Schumacher on the track, rather than in parc ferme.

Williams had a strong weekend, until they entered parc fermeUntil they were disqualified, Williams were pleased with their weekend. Qualifying on pole, then finishing second in the race seems to be an indication that some things are coming back together for the outfit, and they are taking heart from it.

"It was a good day for our team and a welcome return to form," said Williams' Michael. "We pushed Ferrari for the win but they were just a bit too strong today. After having achieved pole position and strong race results on the challenging circuit of Montreal, we want to carry this momentum forward in to next week's race in Indianapolis." Of course, whether they look quite so good when the put the higherdown force package back on is to be discovered.

It was a relatively good weekend for BAR too, though Jenson Button was frustrated that his finish was off the podium: "I'm obviously disappointed that I'm not on the podium here because that's what we felt was achievable." It is a good sign for the team that they are disappointed with only pushing the Ferrari's, and feel they belong ahead of Williams. Takuma Sato enlivened the weekend, first with an excellent last corner spin in qualifying, then by losing another engine in spectacular fashion during the race.

There was little doubt that Sauber's form in Canada was solid. They followed the Ferrari approach of running two stops - maximising the wear characteristics of their Bridgestone tyres - and benefited from a solid race. Whilst Felipe Massa suffered a precipitous exit when his suspension failed at high speed, pitching him into the tyre wall, he was looking relatively good alongside Sato, who was no slouch for BAR. Giancarlo Fisichella displayed the merits of staying out of trouble and getting on with the race when he finished sixth - taking a place from McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, who had two extra stops, between a drive-through penalty and electrical issues. It meant the team lived up to their goal of finishing ahead of the Woking outfit, which is always a good result for a privateer outfit.

Button inherited a place on the podiumOf course, McLaren were happy just to get two cars to the finish - a rare occurrence for them at the moment. Ron Dennis said: "the important aspect is that both cars finished, and now we can continue to increase our efforts to become more competitive."

The big losers in Canada were not Toyota, whose performance at least made it apparent that they are making some progress with their package; rather it was Renault, who suffered a double retirement - Jarno Trulli failed to get off the starting line as what seemed to be his suspension gave way under the strain, whilst Fernando Alonso's left driveshaft failed half way through the race. In the words of Pat Symonds, "it is a bitterly disappointing to suffer a double retirement after looking so good during practice, and having been confident of a podium finish. The indications we have so far are that both cars suffered similar transmission problems."

However, the drivers whose fortunes might turned on this race are Jordan's Giorgio Pantano, and their spare driver, Timo Glock. Pantano's family and management must be kicking themselves now, for their disagreement led to Glock taking the regular driver's place for the race; with the disqualifications, he was promoted into the points. Any points scored by any means is an excellent first race in anyone's Formula One career!

Qualifying

Qualifying took place on a hot afternoon, with air temperatures at 21 degrees, but the track reached 45 degrees. Humidity at 30% helped power a little, but was consistent throughout the session.

The Grid

Massa crashed heavily1. Ralf Schumacher
First Qualifying: 1:12.441; Second Qualifying: 1:12.275

After a torrid weekend where the car seemed impossible to balance, Ralf Schumacher entered pre-qualifying doubting that this was going to be a good day. However, good work with his engineers had finally ironed out the problems with the car, establishing a neutral balance and resolving inconsistent braking issues; he put in an excellent first qualifying performance to produce the fastest time.

This was backed up as strong a performance in the second round. The car was well balanced, a fraction slower than Button's BAR through the opening sector of the lap, but Schumacher pushed hard and kept it together through the remainder. Whilst it appears that the car was light, there was no detracting from a very impressive display by the German.

2. Jenson Button
First Qualifying: 1:13.333; Second Qualifying: 1:12.341

Although the weekend started with a struggle to find a good balance, BAR were never too far off the pace. As the track rubbered in, the cars got quicker and quicker, and Jenson Button's confidence grew as the team worked to resolve his understeer problems.

From the outset of his qualifying lap, Button looked smooth and committed, with the car clearly nimble in the corners and accelerating very strongly. Despite a slight mistake into the hairpin that, in hindsight, probably cost pole position, it was clearly always going to be a very quick lap. Whilst there is no doubt the car was carrying a relatively low fuel load, the lap was solid: give or take the fast starting Renaults, this was a great place to start the race.

3. Jarno Trulli
First Qualifying: 1:13.149; Second Qualifying: 1:13.023

The Toyotas were also disqualifiedAfter a difficult opening day, which included steering problems, traffic and some difficulty getting the right balance, Jarno Trulli bounced back to get the car ironed out in Saturday practice. The new Renault engine for Canada has improved and smoother low end torque, it has clearly helped the team step up their performance. Impressively, despite a strong single lap in qualifying, the team had focused on race day speed.

In qualifying, Trulli looked smooth and committed, putting together a tidy lap that earned him a very solid third spot on the grid. Despite qualifying seven tenths off pole, with Renault's famous starts, he was a real threat to the front row at the start of the race.

4. Juan Pablo Montoya
First Qualifying: 1:12.746; Second Qualifying: 1:13.072

Like Ralf Schumacher, Montoya struggled with set-up all weekend, both with setting the car up with an effective balance and ensuring sufficient cooling that the brakes would last the distance. It didn't help that a fuel leak cost him the second Friday session, either. However, all the issues were resolved in time for pre-qualifying, and Montoya delivered a strong lap. It appears that he was struggling on the second qualifying: he made a couple of mistakes, particularly losing time when he locked wheels into the hairpin. Judging by the time his teammate put in, it is apparent he could rue a qualifying position that was always likely to see him stuck behind Renaults on race day.

5. Fernando Alonso
First Qualifying: 1:12.826; Second Qualifying: 1:13.308

Renault had a poor weekend, with both drivers retiringFernando Alonso looked very strong on Friday as the car was clearly well balanced from the outset. As the track rubbered in, the car continued to improve and he made the most of Renault's new engine to step up his game.

In qualifying, Alonso's lap was slower than expected: between hitting debris from Sato's incident, and a small mistake in turn eight, he was three tenths off the pace of his teammate. Seemingly, both Renaults were running lighter loads than Ferrari, but being a full second off the front row make it very apparent that the tank was not empty.

6. Michael Schumacher
First Qualifying: 1:13.463; Second Qualifying: 1:13.355

Despite appearing quick, Michael Schumacher's Friday did not go entirely to plan, as it included contact with the wall. Ferrari were always looking balanced and fast, and their consistency over a series of laps was phenomenal. However, as the track gained rubber, it became more and more apparent that Michelin held a definite advantage over the first couple of laps.

In qualifying, other than a couple of ragged moments, Schumacher looked smooth and his pace was solid; it was quite apparent that the car was relatively heavy. The lap was perhaps overcommitted, but there is little question the car was carrying more fuel load than the pole sitters.

7. Rubens Barrichello
First Qualifying: 1:13.782; Second Qualifying: 1:13.562

Rubens Barrichello rapidly found the optimum balance on the car, then spent Friday establishing the best strategy for the race, and learning how to get the most from the new specification Ferrari engine. On Saturday, he caught a kerb and damaged the chassis, resulting in the team moving him – and his engine – to the spare car for qualifying. Although he spent the weekend within a couple of tenths of Schumacher, he was not in the form of his team leader.

While attempting qualifying the spare, Barrichello was overdriving and missing apexes. The car looked heavy under braking and was clearly never going to be challenging for pole; however, it seems Ferrari expected a tough session, and were only set up for the race. On his in lap, even more than the other Bridgestone runners, the Brazilian backed right off in order to maximise preservation of fuel and tyres.

8. Kimi Raikkonen
First Qualifying: 1:13.602; Second Qualifying: 1:13.595

From the outset, McLaren looked relatively competitive in Canada, and had the car balanced in short order. Raikkonen spent the first day establishing the right tyres to use for the race – except for a spell on the sidelines whilst the mechanics changes the floor of the car, after he damaged it on a kerb.

In qualifying, Kimi Raikkonen looked balanced and stable obviously performing solidly in the corners, and might have split the Ferraris. But despite engine revs at over 18,500 rpm, the unit simply didn't have the power to stay ahead of Barrichello in the drag up from the chicane, which raised the question whether he would be vulnerable to being passed on the back straight.

9. David Coulthard
First Qualifying: 1:13.206; Second Qualifying: 1:13.681

Following a similar weekend to Raikkonen, David Coulthard looked to be close to the pace all weekend, enjoying a balanced car through all the sessions. In qualifying, Coulthard's car was obviously well balanced, despite a little oversteer that prevented him quite matching Raikkonen's time. Like his teammate, speed on the back straight was relatively low, perhaps revealing weakness from the Mercedes engine.

10. Christian Klien
First Qualifying: 1:14.751; Second Qualifying: 1:14.532

Glock debuted with JordanAfter encountering the track on Friday, Christian Klien finished the day with a good balance on the car and increasing confidence in what he could accomplish with it. Although his teammates were limited on running, he had a strong session, backed up by more useful running on Saturday.

In qualifying, whilst clearly more stable than the Jordans, it was apparent that the Jaguar chassis was not working nearly as well as the front runners; Klien kept it together for a smooth lap that, perhaps, could have been more committed, but he wasn't ever going to be much faster. That he placed ahead of the Saubers and Toyotas, let alone Mark Webber, was a strong suggestion he was running lower fuel.

11. Giancarlo Fisichella
First Qualifying: 1:13.663; Second Qualifying: 1:14.674

Sauber spent Friday struggling to get the cars' set-up to ride the kerbs without compromising cornering; the new low-downforce aerodynamic package seemed to be a solid performer, but more sensitive to balance – though Giancarlo Fisichella was pushing hard, and finally happy with it by the end of the day. In qualifying, Fisichella was pushing hard, putting together a solid, committed lap. Despite what seemed to be a very heavy fuel load, placing eleventh was a solid result, and not a bad position to start a race with Bridgestone's tyres and two stops: it left Sauber optimistic for points.

12. Cristiano da Matta
First Qualifying: 1:13.807; Second Qualifying: 1:14.851

There was little doubt that Toyota enjoyed Friday in Canada, as they saw Ricardo Zonta and Cristiano da Matta end the day in sixth and seventh places, respectively. Both drivers found a good balance by the end of the day, and were able to string together some excellent laps. However, Saturday did not go quite so smoothly, as the team concentrated on race pace, which appeared to have compromised their qualifying positions. In his qualifying lap, da Matta was pushing hard, but never looked on the pace of Jaguar's Klein. The lap was solid, if uninspiring, and marred by understeer.

13. Olivier Panis
First Qualifying: 1:14.166; Second Qualifying: 1:14.891

Olivier Panis did not enjoy Friday: whilst his teammates got to grips with the car, he found it difficult to be confident in its behaviour. Fortunately, he got to grips with it during Saturday practice. In qualifying, Panis pushed hard on his out lap; the car was looking relatively good, and appeared to benefit from good stability under braking and solid acceleration. However, it was clearly losing time in the slower corners and carrying less speed over kerbs. To match da Matta, Panis would have needed a more committed lap, but it seemed on that fuel load, that was the limit for the Toyotas.

14. Mark Webber
First Qualifying: 1:14.715; Second Qualifying: 1:15.148

Mark Webber put aside the rumours of his imminent departure from the team to demonstrate a committed weekend – though Friday's running was limited due to a problem with the hydraulics. Saturday's sessions were more productive, and the team arrived at qualifying knowing that they had a good set-up on the car, but were going to struggle with performance. Through his qualifying lap, Webber could be seen to be struggling a little with the kerbs, but he mostly kept it together. Massive understeer into the hairpin cost a lot of time, and he arrived at the end of the lap slower than his teammate, though it seemed likely he was also carrying more fuel.

15. Nick Heidfeld
First Qualifying: 1:15.657; Second Qualifying: 1:15.321

Sato had a troubled weekendFrom the outset, Jordan had been concerned about getting their brakes to the finish of the race, and most of the weekend was spent ensuring they can last the race distance. This might prove wise on a high-attrition circuit, but it meant the team were never going to show well on Saturday. Nick Heidfeld worked the car hard on the qualifying out lap to get heat into the tyres. The car was clearly unstable under braking and difficult in low speed corners; however, he carried better speed through the faster corners than Timo Glock, and made up a second.

16. Timo Glock
First Qualifying: 1:16.865; Second Qualifying: 1:16.323

Jordan's weekend was complicated by one of their drivers having a family dispute with his management keep him from racing. Timo Glock was ready to step up to the plate, and went into the Saturday sessions in place of Giorgio Pantano. Thrown in at the deep end, and with first qualifying only a second off Heidfeld's time, Glock was overdriving what seemed to be a poorly balanced Jordan. Whilst his inexperience was not helpful, he put the car as high up the grid as it will go – a solid if unimpressive introduction to Formula One qualifying.

17. Takuma Sato
First Qualifying: 1:12.989; Second Qualifying: 1:17.004

Takuma Sato has never been slow, and is probably the most fearless driver in the sport. Having calmed down enough in recent events to keep the car on the track, his game has improved, and Friday's times reflected this. Unfortunately, he overcommitted to the final corner in qualifying – luckily spinning rather than into the Wall of Champions, coming within a foot of breaking off the rear wing. On the positive side, his pace was very impressive, and overtaking being possible in Canada, his misfortune should have offered the fans a chance to see some race day action.

18. Zsolt Baumgartner
First Qualifying: 1:17.903; Second Qualifying: 1:17.064

Raikkonen scored for the second time in 2004Whilst the car looked stable on the out lap, it was unsettled over kerbs as Zsolt Baumgartner went on to his hot lap. The car was twitchy with the back end stepping out regularly. He suffered understeer in, and oversteer out of all the corners, obviously making life awkward.

19. Gianmaria Bruni
First Qualifying: no time; Second Qualifying: no time

Gianmaria Bruni did not set a time in the first qualifying session, after rolling to a stop. Took it very easy on his out lap; his engine was misfiring and the car was set-up for his teammate, so he went straight back into the pits and did not set a time.

20. Felipe Massa
First Qualifying: 1:14.392; Second Qualifying: no time

Struggling to find the right balance on Friday, Felipe Massa contacted the Wall of Champions and needed his mechanics to sort out the damage to his suspension. However, like Fisichella, he was able to come away from the day with a good balance on the car, which boded well for qualifying and the race. Unfortunately, at the start of the out lap, Massa picked up a puncture, leaving no option but to bring it straight back in and leave it in parc ferme.

Race day dawned with clear skies, low winds and a warm track: little changed for the remainder of the event.

The start of the raceBefore the start, Sato chose not to head up to the track, but to start from the pitlane: changing strategy from three to two stops could have offered him a chance to make up places, but it meant he would start the race with no heat in tyres and brakes.

The parade lap started with Alonso getting away slowly from the grid, before the cars proceeded very slowly on the lap. There was some question over whether this was about conserving fuel – or just making it as awkward as possible for the Bridgestone runners to get heat in to their tyres!

At the start, everyone began cleanly, before Trulli suddenly slowed and pulled off with a broken suspension, apparently broken by his acceleration off the line. Alonso, meanwhile, moved ahead of Montoya, and Raikkonen slipped in front of Barrichello to split the Ferraris. There were collisions at the first corner, with Klien running into Coulthard's McLaren, pushing da Matta wide and collecting Webber. It led to a yellow flag on the corner for the first couple of laps, and a pitstop for a new front wing on Webber's Jaguar.

In the opening session, Ralf Schumacher led Button, Alonso, and Montoya. Raikkonen split the Ferraris immediately behind; Ralf proceeded to pull away from Button. At the end of the first lap, Sato and Coulthard found themselves side by side in turn one – the BAR-Honda driver having run wide, he yielded the position to the McLaren. Glock found himself running eleventh, just behind Heidfeld, while Michael Schumacher was pushing Montoya to maximise his pace.

It took Button four laps to get on terms with Ralf's pace, and he pegged the gap to about three and a half seconds. Meanwhile, Raikkonen's tyres were starting to go off, and he was struggling to contain Barrichello, who was all over the back of the McLaren. Despite Raikkonen's defence, an aggressive approach to the chicane led to the Ferrari passing cleanly on the back straight – good work by the Brazilian, who made the most of the clean air to run a second and a half faster, closing the gap to Schumacher – who was bottled behind Montoya – in a lap and a half.

Montoya scored, but was disqualifiedBy the tenth lap, Mark Webber had pitted again, calling it a day, presumably due to suspension damage from the accident at the start of the race. Ralf was 3.7 seconds ahead of Button, who has Alonso right on his tail. Montoya was over a second further back, being pushed along by the Ferraris.

Coulthard started the fuel stops on lap 11, coming in from 12th and staying stationary for 8.3 seconds before returning in 16th place. It was clear from the state of the tyres that wear was being particularly tough at the rear. Raikkonen stopped on a lap later, dropping from seventh to tenth, behind Heidfeld. By then, Ralf Schumacher's front left tyre was looking very worn.

Button and Montoya both stop on lap 13, pitting from second and fourth to rejoin in sixth and seventh. Running in clean air, Michael Schumacher looked very fast as he chased down Alonso, setting a fastest lap of 1:14.010. In no time, he is behind the Renault. The next lap saw Ralf lap the rear-most Minardi and pit for fuel; he was only stationary for 7.3s and rejoined in fourth and comfortably ahead of Button, who was charging on his new tyres.

Alonso stopped on lap 16 from the lead, releasing the Ferraris. Unfortunately, there was trouble with the refuelling hose, leading to a long stop of 17 stationary seconds. He rejoined in sixth as da Matta pitted. At this time the stewards announce an investigation on car number six: Raikkonen has earned a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line at the exit of the pits, and he promptly takes it, dropping to ninth.

Schumacher was lapping very quickly in the lead, setting a time of 1:13.6 as Barrichello stopped from second on lap 17. The Brazilian rejoined the circuit alongside Montoya, but ended up behind. Schumacher stopped a lap later, and was stationary for 10.3 seconds as he took on a lot of fuel, before rejoining ahead of Montoya but behind Button. At this point, the race order was Ralf Schumacher, Button, Michael Schumacher, Montoya, Barrichello and Alonso.

On lap 20, Heidfeld stopped from eighth, rejoining in 14th behind Coulthard. During his stop, the brake man let him go too soon, resulting in the car moving whilst the refuelling hose was still on, and hurting the refueller.

Fisichella had a another strong weekendRalf was working hard at the front, holding a 3.7-second advantage over Button, who was closing in whilst stretching a 3.8-second lead over Schumacher. Montoya was a couple of seconds behind the German with Barrichello holding station immediately behind. Alonso, in sixth, was about five seconds further off.

Sato stopped from tenth on lap 23, rejoining in 13th – his heavy fuel load had helped see him past the backmarkers, but things were looking harder. Meanwhile, near the front, Barrichello was pushing very hard, despite having some oversteer issues.

When Fisichella stopped on lap 25, his crew had problems with both the right front wheel and fuel hose, though he rejoined in tenth, ahead of Toyota's Panis. Glock slide wide through the hairpin under pressure to defend his place, yielding the position to Sato, who became the last unlapped man in 12th place. Nick Heidfeld's stop finally happened, dropping him a lap and putting him behind Glock.

At this time, Schumacher's relatively slow pace on his second set of tyres became apparent as Montoya closed up and attempted to pass for third. The Colombian was pushing hard, but with Schumacher accelerating well out of the corners, there was little he can do other than apply pressure, potentially forcing the Ferrari into working his brakes harder than he would like. However, the action ended abruptly on lap 30, as Montoya pitted. Despite being stationary for only 7.3s, he rejoined in sixth as Raikkonen stopped for fuel. The Finn rejoined in seventh, keeping the position he held going into the pits.

Button stopped on lap 31, stationary for 7.6s, before struggling to get away. His anti-stall seemed to keep the engine running before he found first and pounded out, to rejoin in fifth and convincingly clear of Montoya. At this time, it was announced that Bruni picked up a drive through penalty for speeding, but he retired before it could be served.

Schumacher leads BarrichelloRalf opened up a gap of some 13 seconds over his brother and was continuing to lap quicker. Coulthard pitted, with Ralf following him in – the 6.2s stop seeing the German rejoining in third, ahead of Alonso. Despite losing Montoya from his mirror's, Michael's problems had not been rectified, and he had Barrichello all over his tail, looking for a way past. It was clear that he was holding his teammate up at this time, allowing Ralf to close back up with the Ferraris.

On lap 42, Sato has a lunge up the inside at the chicane, looking to take tenth spot away from Panis. However, he is proven over-ambitious and spins, narrowly missing a spectacular accident, and falls a lap down as he recovers. That led to a long second pitstop.

A lap later, having been unable to take the race lead away from Schumacher, Barrichello pitted. Shortly afterwards, Alonso pulled out at the Senna Curve with what appears to be suspension failure. Barrichello rejoined behind Montoya, suggesting poor teamwork by Ferrari, as he was being held up.

Kimi pitted from seventh, taking 10.7 seconds before again rejoining in the same position. The Schumacher brothers led, with Ralf six seconds down, and both needed one more stop. First to blink was Michael on lap 46, as the Ferrari pitted from the lead, rejoining in front of Button and Montoya. On the next lap, Ralf stopped from the lead, rejoining in fourth, ahead of Barrichello, but behind Montoya and Button.

On lap 49, both Button and Montoya pitted before rejoining in fourth and fifth; Fisichella stopped from sixth and rejoined in seventh, while Sato's race ends abruptly as his engine expired in spectacular fashion.

Coulthard dropped out of the points when he pitted on lap 57, whilst Massa made his final stop to find himself two laps down on the leaders. A couple of laps later, Raikkonen slowed abruptly, and pulled into the pits with an apparent electrical problem: rejoining with a new steering wheel, he was back in seventh, fortunate to only be yielding a position for Fisichella.

The podiumFive laps from the end, Massa suffered a serious rear suspension failure braking for the hairpin, and buried the car in the tyre wall: the left rear wheel was missing before he hit the tyres. He got out of the car very gingerly. Meanwhile, Klein and Heidfeld's private race took a turn for the interesting as they went off together, but get going again straight after.

At the end of the race, Barrichello put in the fastest lap of 1:13.622, but still couldn't close on Ralf Schumacher. Michael Schumacher won comfortably over his brother in second, with his Ferrari teammate third. Button led home Montoya, with Fisichella taking a well earned sixth from Raikkonen and da Matta rounding out the points paying positions.


Race Results

Pos  Driver        Team-Engine                Time        
Pos  Driver        Team-Engine           Time        
 1.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari          (B)  1h28:24.803
 2.  R.Schumacher  Williams-BMW     (M)  +     1.062 (*)
 3.  Barrichello   Ferrari          (B)  +     5.108
 4.  Button        BAR-Honda        (M)  +    20.409
 5.  Montoya       Williams-BMW     (M)  +    21.200 (*)
 6.  Fisichella    Sauber-Petronas  (B)  +     1 lap
 7.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  +     1 lap
 8.  da Matta      Toyota           (M)  +     1 lap (*)
 9.  Coulthard     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  +     1 lap
10.  Panis         Toyota           (M)  +     1 lap (*)
11.  Glock         Jordan-Ford      (B)  +    2 laps
12.  Heidfeld      Jordan-Ford      (B)  +    2 laps
13.  Klien         Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  +    3 laps
14.  Baumgartner   Minardi-Cosworth (B)  +    4 laps

(*) Disqualified

Fastest Lap: Barrichello, 1:13.622

Not Classified/Retirements:

Driver        Team                  On Lap
Massa         Sauber-Petronas  (B)    63
Sato          BAR-Honda        (M)    49
Alonso        Renault          (M)    45
Bruni         Minardi-Cosworth (B)    31
Webber        Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)    7
Trulli        Renault          (M)    1

World Championship Standing, Round 8:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  M.Schumacher  70        1.  Ferrari          124
 2.  Barrichello   54        2.  Renault           61
 3.  Button        44        3.  BAR-Honda         52
 4.  Trulli        36        4.  Williams-BMW      36
 5.  Alonso        25        5.  Sauber-Petronas   15
 6.  Montoya       24        6.  McLaren-Mercedes  12
 7.  R.Schumacher  12        7.  Jordan-Ford        5
 8.  Fisichella    10        8.  Toyota             4
 9.  Sato           8        9.  Jaguar-Cosworth    3
10.  Coulthard      7       
11.  Massa          5       
12.  Raikkonen      5       
13.  Webber         3       
14.  da Matta       3       
15.  Heidfeld       3       
16.  Glock          2       
17.  Panis          1       

Fastest Race Laps

Pos  Driver        Team                  Lap  Time              
 1.  Barrichello   Ferrari          (B)  68   1:13.622
 2.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari          (B)  18   1:13.630 + 0.008
 3.  Alonso        Renault          (M)  41   1:14.179 + 0.557
 4.  Button        BAR-Honda        (M)  68   1:14.246 + 0.624
 5.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  44   1:14.752 + 1.13 
 6.  Sato          BAR-Honda        (M)  25   1:15.076 + 1.454
 7.  Fisichella    Sauber-Petronas  (B)  47   1:15.078 + 1.456
 8.  Coulthard     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  55   1:15.478 + 1.856
 9.  Massa         Sauber-Petronas  (B)  25   1:15.560 + 1.938
10.  Klien         Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  45   1:15.731 + 2.109
11.  Heidfeld      Jordan-Ford      (B)  18   1:15.890 + 2.268
12.  Glock         Jordan-Ford      (B)  42   1:16.300 + 2.678
13.  Webber        Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  6    1:16.739 + 3.117
14.  Baumgartner   Minardi-Cosworth (B)  64   1:17.516 + 3.894
15.  Bruni         Minardi-Cosworth (B)  25   1:18.025 + 4.403
--------------------------------------------------------------
     Montoya       Williams-BMW     (M)  69   1:14.295 + 0.673
     R.Schumacher  Williams-BMW     (M)  70   1:14.040 + 0.418
     da Matta      Toyota           (M)  39   1:15.652 + 2.030
     Panis         Toyota           (M)  23   1:16.045 + 2.423

Pitstop Times

Pos  Driver        Team                  Time      Lap
 1.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  14.730   19
 2.  Button        BAR-Honda        (M)  24.416   13
 3.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  24.878   30
 4.  Button        BAR-Honda        (M)  24.904   49
 5.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  25.373   12
 6.  Coulthard     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  25.388   53
 7.  Sato          BAR-Honda        (M)  25.696   23
 8.  Coulthard     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  25.830   32
 9.  Fisichella    Sauber-Petronas  (B)  25.882   49
10.  Coulthard     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  25.908   11
11.  Massa         Sauber-Petronas  (B)  26.307   28
12.  Button        BAR-Honda        (M)  26.553   31
13.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari          (B)  26.565   47
14.  Barrichello   Ferrari          (B)  26.946   18
15.  Klien         Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  27.273   49
16.  Massa         Sauber-Petronas  (B)  27.381   55
17.  Fisichella    Sauber-Petronas  (B)  27.392   25
18.  Barrichello   Ferrari          (B)  27.537   44
19.  Baumgartner   Minardi-Cosworth (B)  27.948   17
20.  Sato          BAR-Honda        (M)  28.044   42
21.  Klien         Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  28.054   17
22.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari          (B)  28.169   19
23.  Glock         Jordan-Ford      (B)  28.336   43
24.  Baumgartner   Minardi-Cosworth (B)  28.544   42
25.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  28.682   60
26.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes (M)  28.691   45
27.  Glock         Jordan-Ford      (B)  28.974   17
28.  Heidfeld      Jordan-Ford      (B)  30.106   40
29.  Klien         Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  30.627   20
30.  Klien         Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  31.728   18
31.  Alonso        Renault          (M)  34.123   17
32.  Bruni         Minardi-Cosworth (B)  35.933   22
33.  Webber        Jaguar-Cosworth  (M)  40.494    1
34.  Massa         Sauber-Petronas  (B)  47.746   26
35.  Heidfeld      Jordan-Ford      (B)  72.616   20
----------------------------------------------------
     R.Schumacher  Williams-BMW     (M)  23.941   33
     Montoya       Williams-BMW     (M)  25.063   30
     R.Schumacher  Williams-BMW     (M)  25.521   15
     Montoya       Williams-BMW     (M)  26.203   13
     Panis         Toyota           (M)  26.539   21
     Montoya       Williams-BMW     (M)  26.872   49
     R.Schumacher  Williams-BMW     (M)  27.042   48
     da Matta      Toyota           (M)  27.528   17
     da Matta      Toyota           (M)  27.832   44
     Panis         Toyota           (M)  28.560   43


The Canadian Grand Prix, Lap by Lap

As the grid forms up Takuma Sato is in the pit lane, the team having decided to fill up the car before the start of the race. Minardi does the same with Gianmaria Bruni.

Lap 1: At the start Jarno Trulli is quick off the line but almost immediately has a transmission failure and pulls to the left to get out of the way of the rest of the field. Ralf Schumacher gets into the first corner ahead of Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello. In the midfield there is an incident as Christian Klien tips David Coulthard into a spin. The Jaguar then rides up over the wheel of the McLaren and is launched into Mark Webber's Jaguar. Various other drivers have to take to the grass to avoid the incident, including the two men starting from the pits as the accident happens in their path. Webber drives slowly round to the pits with a puncture. At the start of the lap Ralf is 1.1sec ahead of Button with Alonso right behind him.

Webber and Klien crashed at the startLap 2: Ralf pulls away to increase his lead to 1.8s but the battle behind remains the same except in the midfield where the delayed Coulthard passes several cars to get back to 13th place, battling with Sato who is making similar progress through the tail end of the field.

Lap 3: Ralf's lead is up to 2.3s but the queue of cars in the top 10 is unchanged. Giancarlo Fisichella passes Timo Glock to grab 11th place.

Lap 5: Coulthard gets ahead of Glock to grab 12th place.

Lap 7: Ralf's lead is stabilized at 2.5s with Button still being hounded by Alonso. There is then a small gap back to Montoya who has Michael Schumacher behind him although the World Champion is not pushing too hard. Rubens Barrichello passes Raikkonen for sixth place. Further back Felipe Massa passes Klien for 15th. At the back Webber returns to the pits to retire.

Lap 8: Barrichello sets the fastest lap of the race. Further back Massa passes Sato for 14th place.

Lap 11: Ralf's lead over Button is up to 3.9s. Further back the first pit stops begin with David Coulthard coming in, showing that the McLarens were running very light in qualifying.

Lap 12: Raikkonen stops and falls from seventh position back to ninth.

Lap 13: Button and Montoya both stop. This puts Alonso up to second with Michael Schumacher now free to go faster. Barrichello is fourth with Button rejoining in sixth behind Cristiano da Matta's Toyota. Montoya is seventh.

Lap 15: Ralf Schumacher pits and so Alonso goes into the lead with Michael Schumacher chasing and Barrichello third. Ralf rejoins in fourth ahead. Button passes da Matta for fifth place.

Lap 17: Alonso pits and Michael Schumacher takes the lead with Barrichello second, Ralf third and Button fourth. Da Matta pits and drops from sixth to 11th. Further back Glock and Klien also pit. It is announced that Raikkonen is being given a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line at the pit lane exit.

Barrichello finished second againLap 18: Michael sets the fastest lap of the race and Barrichello heads for the pits. He rejoins behind Ralf, Button and Montoya but ahead of Alonso. At the tail of the field Klien returns to the pits.

Lap 19: Michael stops and Ralf goes back into the lead with Button second. Michael is third ahead of Montoya and Barrichello. Raikkonen goes into the pit lane for his drive-through and drops to 10th place.

Lap 20: Ralf leads Button by four seconds and the BAR-Honda is 2.7s ahead of Michael. In the midfield Nick Heidfeld, running in eighth place, comes into the pit lane but the stop goes wrong and one of the Jordan mechanics is knocked over as Heidfeld tries to depart. Heidfeld is seriously delayed and drops back to 18th place but the mechanic has no serious injuries. Klien pits for a third time.

Lap 21: Button begins to close on Ralf. Panis, who is running seventh, pits but falls back to 12th place.

Lap 23: Sato, who is clearly on a two-stop strategy, comes into the pits. He is running in 10th but his stops put him back to 13th.

Lap 25: The lead is down to three seconds. Seventh-placed Fisichella stops for the first time. He rejoins 10th. The two Saubers are on a two stop strategy.

Lap 26: Eighth-placed Massa stops and drops back to 14th.

Lap 27: At the back Zsolt Baumgartner has a big spin in his Minardi.

Lap 28: Massa returns to the pits and loses another place, rejoining behind Heidfeld in 15th position.

Lap 30: Montoya is the first runner to have his second pit stop. He is followed into the pits by seventh-placed Raikkonen. Montoya rejoins in seventh place and Raikkonen in eighth. Gianmaria Bruni at the back is given a drive-through penalty.

Lap 31: Button comes into the pits handing second place to Michael Schumacher. The BAR rejoins in sixth position.

Both Jordans scored in the endLap 32: Coulthard pits for the second time and rejoins in 12th place.

Lap 33: Ralf Schumacher is 12secs ahead when he pits for the second time. He rejoins in third behind Michael and Barrichello but ahead of Alonso. The two Ferraris are nose-to-tail at the front with Rubens obviously being faster but being unable to overtake.

Lap 40: It is clear that the Ferraris are going to stop only twice and there seems to be little hope that Ralf will be able to beat them. Barrichello is still harrying Schumacher but is likely to stop earlier. At the back Heidfeld has his second stop.

Lap 42: As the Ferraris come through the backmarkers, Sato spins in front of them. The Japanese is lucky to avoid contact with the cars around him. He pits and rejoins without losing position in 12th. Panis has his second pit stop and drops from 10th to 11th. Glock also stops for his second stop.

Lap 44: Barrichello stops. He falls behind Ralf and Button but they will need to stop again. Da Matta, who is running in eighth place, pits for the second time but does not lose a position.

Lap 45: Raikkonen comes in for his third pit stop and falls behind Giancarlo Fisichella. The Sauber driver is now sixth.

Lap 46: Sato passes Panis to take 10th place.

Lap 47: Michael Schumacher pits and Ralf goes into the lead but it is clear that the Williams must stop again and that will leave the Ferrari ahead.

Lap 48: Ralf pits the aim being to stay ahead of Barrichello. This is successful.

Lap 49: Button, Montoya and Fisichella all stop for the last time. Ralf is second ahead of Barrichello, Button and Montoya. Fisichella is behind Raikkonen. Further back Sato suffers a smoky engine blow-up at the third corner.

Lap 53: Coulthard has his third stop but remains ninth.

Montoya leads Schumacher into the first cornerLap 55: Massa pits from 12th but retains the place.

Lap 60: The order at the front is set with Michael eight seconds ahead of his brother. There is then a five second gap back to Barrichello. Behind them Button and Montoya are fighting for fourth. Sixth-placed Raikkonen goes into the pits for a steering wheel change, indicating a probable software problem. He loses sixth to Fisichella.

Lap 63: Massa has a big accident at the hairpin when his suspension fails, going head-first into the tyres. Felipe is unhurt but later goes to hospital for an X-ray on his left elbow.

Lap 65: Klien has a spin but he remains 13th.

Lap 70: Michael Schumacher wins his 77th victory and becomes the first man in the history of the World Championship to win the same Grand Prix on seven different occasions. Ralf is second with Barrichello third. Button holds off Montoya to take fourth place. Everyone else is lapped. Fisichella picks up more points for Sauber in sixth while Raikkonen gets two points for McLaren and da Matta takes the final point for Toyota. Coulthard and Panis are ninth and 10th. The two Jordans are two laps down with Glock ahead of Heidfeld while Klien's Jaguar is three laps down. The only other finisher is Baumgartner, four laps down.

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    Volume 10, Issue 24
    June 16th 2004

    Atlas F1 Exclusive

    A Weekend with Timo Glock
    by David Cameron

    Bjorn Wirdheim: Going Places
    by Bjorn Wirdheim

    Ann Bradshaw: Point of View
    by Ann Bradshaw

    2004 Canadian GP Review

    2004 Canadian GP Review
    by Tom Keeble

    Just Enough
    by Richard Barnes

    2004 US GP Preview

    2004 US Grand Prix Preview
    by Tom Keeble

    US GP Facts & Stats
    by Marcel Schot

    Stats Center

    Qualifying Differentials
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    SuperStats
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    Charts Center
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    Columns

    Season Strokes
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    Rear View Mirror
    by Don Capps

    Elsewhere in Racing
    by David Wright & Mark Alan Jones

    The Weekly Grapevine
    by Dieter Rencken



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