2004 Brazilian Grand Prix

The bottom 6 teams in the 2003 Constructors' Championship were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.

Ricardo Zonta returned to his home race for the Toyota team, replacing Olivier Panis, who had retired from the sport after the previous race. It was the last race for Gianmaria Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner and the Jaguar team. It was also the last race in which Sid Watkins took part in the role of medical officer.

In qualifying, Barrichello also achieved the fastest lap and secured pole position ahead of Montoya and Räikkönen. It was Barrichello's 13th career pole and his last until the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The race started with a damp track. Most drivers began on intermediate tyres, with only Alonso, Villeneuve and Coulthard opting for dry tyres. At the start, Barrichello maintained the lead, but the Brazilian driver was overtaken after a few corners by Räikkönen. Montoya, however, got off to a bad start and was relegated to fourth place. The intermediate tires soon proved to be unsuitable for the track, which began to dry out. The first to mount dry tires was Ralf Schumacher, during the 4th lap, and he was followed by every other driver still on intermediate tires, handing Alonso the lead of the race. Meanwhile, Räikkönen and Montoya engaged in an intense duel exiting the pit lane, with the Colombian getting the better of his rival. After tire changes, Alonso led ahead of Montoya, Räikkönen, Ralf Schumacher, Sato, Barrichello, Villeneuve and Coulthard. Alonso gave up first place to Montoya at the end of the 18th lap when he returned to the pits to refuel.

On lap 23, Webber attempted to overtake his teammate Klien, but the two came into contact. Webber was forced to retire, while Klien returned to the pits to repair his car. At the head of the race, Räikkönen followed Montoya closely, but the Williams driver managed to control him without any particular problems. Further back, Barrichello tries to recover from Sato. The second series of pit stops brings no changes in position between these four drivers, but allows Alonso to move up to third place, ahead of Ralf Schumacher. On lap 32, however, Sato makes a mistake at the first braking, giving up fifth place to Barrichello. Montoya had a good lead over Räikkönen and was driving a car with more fuel.

The third series of pit stops proved decisive. Alonso, the only one among the leading drivers to make two stops, refueled on lap 47, followed in sequence by Ralf Schumacher, Barrichello, Montoya and Michael Schumacher, who returned to the pits at the same time on lap 50. Räikkönen, leading the race, pushed hard to try to overtake his rival, but when the Finn also made his pit stop, on lap 55, he returned to the track just one second behind Montoya. Behind him, Barrichello prevailed against his direct competitors in the duel for third place. A queue of cars formed behind him, with Alonso a few tenths ahead of Sato, Ralf Schumacher and Michael Schumacher. At the front of the race, Räikkönen tried in vain to put pressure on Montoya, but the Colombian was not distracted and took his first win of the season ahead of Räikkönen, Barrichello, Alonso and Ralf Schumacher. For Montoya it was the 4th victory of his career, and for Williams it was the last victory until the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. It would be Barrichello's first finish at Interlagos in ten years and his only podium, with third place; his previous finish at the circuit being at the season opening in 1994 (a fourth place).

Notes

• ^1 – Michael Schumacher, Zsolt Baumgartner and Gianmaria Bruni received a 10-place grid penalty for engine changes.

Notes

• ^1 – Baumgartner and Bruni started the race from the pitlane.

• Bold text and an asterisk indicates the World Champions.

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

23°42′13″S 46°41′59″W / 23.70361°S 46.69972°W / -23.70361; -46.69972