2004 Chinese Grand Prix

Championship standings

The titles are decided. Schumacher leads Barrichello by 38 points and Button by 65. Ferrari lead the Constructors’ Championship by 140 points over second-placed BAR, and 143 over Renault.

Previous race

Ferrari claimed a 1-2 at Monza in front of the tifosi, with Barrichello winning ahead of Schumacher. Schumacher had started third but spun to the back of the field on the opening lap, subsequently working through to second. In qualifying, Montoya lapped the circuit at an average speed of 262.242 km/h — the highest average qualifying speed in Formula One history at the time.

Between-race developments

Renault have dismissed Jarno Trulli after the Italian Grand Prix. Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, out of single-seater racing for almost a year, returns as his replacement for the final three rounds. At Jordan, Giorgio Pantano has been dropped; Timo Glock returns for the remainder of the season.

Ralf Schumacher returns to the Williams race seat after a three-month absence, having suffered spinal fractures and concussion in the United States Grand Prix.

Milestones

This is the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix — the first Formula One race at the Shanghai International Circuit. It is also the first race at which radio conversations between teams and drivers are broadcast live to television viewers.

Practice

BAR’s third driver Anthony Davidson ran Friday free practice in a special yellow-blue livery inspired by the Subaru Impreza 555 scheme, replacing Lucky Strike with State Express 555 branding. The FIA suspended use of the alternative livery for qualifying and the race; the team’s standard white livery was broadly restored, though the 555 sponsorship was retained.