Ferrari F2004 – The Greatest Car Ever

Ferrari F2004 – Opening Arguments

There are many opinions on what is considered to be the greatest car ever made. And who is to say the title of “Greatest Car” can ever be slapped on to just one in what is a world that has completely spoiled us silly? This discussion can be had at great length— OK, enough. Ferrari F2004. That’s it. That’s the one. 

Yes, I’ll concede it’s hard to pick. And yet, it is clear why the car I hold a deep admiration for is, in my mind, the greatest car ever.

No, you cannot legally drive it on the road (technically you could drive it once regardless). And perhaps there is a deeper discussion to be had wherein the greatest racecar is separated from the greatest road car. But from the perspective of a driver, enthusiast, and engineer, Formula 1 is the absolute pinnacle of automobiles, the Rosetta Stone from where all the know-how for supercars originates. So, reader, I make a case for the Ferrari F2004. 

Ferrari F2004 Pedigree

Let’s take a step back in time to the late 1990s. F1 has formally adopted the V10 as the standard powerplant to power every car on the grid—no hybrid systems. No batteries. Just unrestricted, screaming, beautiful internal combustion. Michael Schumacher has already won two world championships and has made a bold switch to Ferrari. The two develop a relationship that will propel both team and driver to legendary acclaim.

Fast forward a few years to 2004. Ferrari is testing the F2004 for the upcoming season. The team is puzzled because the car is way too fast. Something must be wrong with the instruments. No? Maybe the car is underweight. No? Michael – did you become a cyborg over the winter? Medical records confirm he’s 100% human.

So, maybe the last one did not happen. Ferrari, however, was thrilled with how well their latest entry turned out. Remember, Ferrari is first and foremost a racing team. This was their flagship model. And what a model it was. 

While the F2002 is the most successful car by podium and win percentages, the Ferrari F2004 is one of the fastest F1 cars to ever grace a racetrack. To this day, it holds a few lap records, the most prominent one being the race lap record at Shanghai. The combination of Michael Schumacher and the team he lovingly molded into one cohesive, unstoppable unit, destroyed the competition that year, leading Michael’s seventh world title and another constructors’ championship for Ferrari. True to Italian fashion, they did it in style. 

A beautiful 3.0L Ferrari V10 putting out 865hp (~940 for qualifying), electronics to aid Michael and Rubens, kickass sponsorships, and no active aero – just a big red go-kart with beautiful lines. What made their functions so appealing was the greater level of driver precision and skill when passing. I understand DRS exists to make inevitable passes happen sooner. However, DRS is countered by battery-based defenses and is often nullified by the rise of “DRS trains.”

So, at the end of the day, is all this complicated technology really solving a problem or inadvertently creating more irritating ones? I’d argue it’s the latter. The Ferrari F2004 relied on pure driver skill with electronic aids that worked with the drivers to smooth out their inputs rather than do a portion of the driving for them.

Keep in mind, that the cars from the V10 era ran grooved tires, effectively reducing the amount of surface area that remained in contact with the track. So, what could the cars really do, if they were allowed to run on slicks? Fernando Alonso, another modern-old-school driver who thrived in this era of pure racing, was not too far off the pace of the current set of cars back in 2020 when he was reunited with his championship-winning R25, another legendary car.

Despite being nearly two decades old and down on power compared to modern hybrids, the car held its own – a reminder that mechanical grip and raw skill still have a place in today’s world of computer-managed racing.

Global Influence of the Ferrari F2004

And the Ferrari F2004 has spawned some of the best videos on YouTube. Enter “F2004 pole lap” and sit back as you are both relaxed and awed by the aural and visual assault on the senses. Michael’s pole lap at Spain is my favorite. The car is fast, it sings, and it nimbly dances through corners with a lightness and balance you can feel through the screen. Small aside here – it has been proven that V10s are received as beautiful music by the brain. 

This was the most exciting and thrilling era of F1. To me, getting some quality laps in at Spa with this exquisite work of art is the purest definition of bliss.

As I write this, rumors of conversations and meetings have been circulating that the FIA is strongly considering bringing back the V10s. Whether that is true or not, we should celebrate the fact the FIA is finally realizing the V10 era was F1 at its finest. And while optics have prevented loud and simple engines from remaining on the grid, we are now nearing a time when they finally understand that the rise of synthetic fuels means we can finally return to what made F1 perfect. Put them on slicks this time. Let’s really see what these machines can do. And with 20 years of aero advancements, they’d be even more stable than before.

Standing on Business

For fans around the world, let’s keep focused on bringing back light, simple F1 cars. I often joke with a friend about turning F1 into a spec series – just slap halos on 20 F2004s and let them rip. But jokes aside, there’s some truth in the simplicity. And though I love the current grid (contrary to the perceived tone of this piece, Formula 1 is always exciting regardless of the era), everyone – engineers, mechanics, fans, drivers — would have a smile on their face to see and hear this legendary layout back on track. Bring back the Ferrari F2004. 

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Tuhin Gupta

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