21.03.2004 MICHAEL SCHUMACHER DISPELS THE HEAT THEORIES TO LEAD FROM START TO FINISH IN MALAYSIA

Another race and another win: number 169 for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and number 72 for Michael, his second of the season and 53rd with Ferrari. Rubens Barrichello helped extend the team’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship, bringing home five points for fourth place.

As expected, the race was much closer than a fortnight ago in Melbourne, with Michael’s main opposition coming from the BMW-Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya. Just before the start, it rained on part of the circuit and as the lights went out, Michael led from pole, followed by his team-mate as Webber’s front row position in the Jaguar evaporated as he got away very slowly.

Barrichello had opted for the harder of the two types of Bridgestone tyre available and in the cooler than expected conditions, they lost temperature and he momentarily slid off the circuit, allowing Montoya and Raikkonen to get by.

All the leaders had opted for a three stop strategy. For the first run, Schumacher came in on lap 9, Barrichello on 10 and Montoya on 12. When the Brazilian made his first stop, he lost a place to Jenson Button in the BAR-Honda, delayed as he passed a backmarker. From then on to the flag, Rubens pushed as hard as he could but was unable to get ahead of the Englishman, who recorded his first ever podium finish, after Kimi Raikkonen retired the McLaren-Mercedes with transmission problems.

The gap between Michael and Montoya fluctuated between three and five seconds (5.022 at the chequered flag) throughout the race as first one driver, then the other had the upper hand, depending on tyre condition and fuel load. For the second run of refuelling, Schumacher and Montoya came in together on lap 26, with Barrichello doing the same two laps later. The final refuelling in this 56 lap race saw Montoya try coming in one lap ahead of Schumacher (laps 39 and 40) while Barrichello pitted on lap 44.

From there to the chequered flag the leader board remained static. Schumacher still leads the Drivers’ championship on maximum points, with Barrichello in second place, one point ahead of Montoya. In the Constructors’ classification, the Scuderia leads BMW-Williams by 16 points.
 

2004 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX ( SEPANG ): RACE RESULT 1 M.SCHUMACHER   Ferrari  1h31m07.490s, 2 MONTOYA   Williams + 5.022s, 3 BUTTON  BAR + 11.568s, 4 BARRICHELLO  Ferrari  + 13.616s, 5  TRULLI   Renault  + 37.360s 6  COULTHARD   McLaren  + 53.098s, 7  ALONSO  Renault  + 1m07.877s,  8  MASSA   Sauber   + 1 lap, 9  DA MATTA   Toyota   + 1 lap, 10 KLIEN   Jaguar   + 1 lap, 11 FISICHELLA   Sauber   + 1 lap, 12 PANIS   Toyota   + 1 lap, 13 PANTANO   Jordan   + 2 laps, 14 BRUNI   Minardi  + 3 laps, 15 SATO   BAR    + 4 laps, 16 BAUMGARTNER  Minardi  + 4 laps, 17 RAIKKONEN   McLaren  + 16 laps, 18 HEIDFELD  Jordan   + 22 laps, 19 R.SCHUMACHER   Williams + 29 laps,  20 WEBBER   Jaguar   + 33 laps