2004 Bahrain Grand Prix

Championship standings

Schumacher leads the championship with 20 points from two wins, 7 ahead of teammate Barrichello and 8 ahead of Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Ferrari’s 33 points in the Constructors’ Championship is nearly double Williams’s 17, with Renault third on 14.

Previous race

Schumacher won from pole in Sepang, with Montoya second and Jenson Button third — Button’s first career podium, and BAR Honda’s best result since the 2001 German Grand Prix. Mark Webber, who had split the Ferraris in qualifying, made a poor start and was eliminated in a collision with Ralf Schumacher.

Weather

Friday and Saturday ran under clear skies and high temperatures. A desert storm hit the circuit on Sunday morning, bringing first rain and then sand. With the track more slippery than its already-new asphalt made it, and air temperatures down, the Bridgestone runners — most notably Ferrari — are expected to hold an advantage over Michelin-shod teams.

Practice

Four free practice sessions were held. Schumacher and Barrichello topped the first Friday session; Barrichello led the second by a thousandth of a second from Montoya, with Schumacher fourth. On Saturday, Button topped both sessions in his BAR-Honda — heading Montoya and Schumacher in the third, and the two Williamses in the fourth.

Penalties

Kimi Räikkönen, Nick Heidfeld, and Zsolt Baumgartner carry ten-place grid penalties for engine changes. McLaren aborted Räikkönen’s second qualifying session effort to preserve the Mercedes engine after multiple practice issues.