Amalgam – 1:18 Ferrari F2004 – Canadian GP 2004 – Michael Schumacher

• As raced to victory by Michael Schumacher in the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2004 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the 13th of June 2004
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen
• 1:18 scale model, over 25 cms/9 inches long
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Over 800 hours to develop the model
• Precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components
• Built using original CAD designs and paint codes supplied by Scuderia Ferrari

Even in a history as extensive, illustrious and successful as Scuderia Ferrari’s, there are few more dominant cars than their 2004 FIA Formula 1 World Championship competitor, the F2004. The phenomenal Ferrari F2004 emerged victorious from fifteen of the eighteen races, making it one the most dominant machines to have ever competed in the sport. The F2004 was to be the culmination of the remarkable Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Michael Schumacher ‘golden era’, after a hugely successful period where Ferrari earned six successive Constructors’ titles and five uninterrupted Drivers’ Championships in six years.

The F2004’s total of fifteen victories has since been bettered only by the hybrid-era domination of Mercedes, racing in longer seasons. Thirteen of those victories were in the hands of German Michael Schumacher, the other two with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello. The duo, in their fourth straight season as teammates, also achieved a further fourteen second or third placed finishes (two for Schumacher, twelve for Barrichello), with at least one of the drivers making an appearance on the podium at every single race. Its extraordinary reliability was second to none; the team only recorded two retirements, and both were due to collisions rather than mechanical mishaps. The F2004 earned twelve pole positions and fourteen fastest laps, simply blowing the competition away. In fact, it was Ferrari’s domination which led to rule changes for 2005, which did help to end the Italian’s successful run, but the modified F2004M chassis was still good enough to finish on the podium in the Australian GP season opener.

The 2004 season saw the pinnacle of Ferrari’s ‘Golden Era’ with several records set: Ferrari clinched a sixth consecutive Constructors’ Championship, their fourteenth title overall, whilst Schumacher won his fifth consecutive Drivers’ Championship, his record-extending seventh overall. Schumacher extended his record for most wins in a season with thirteen, and set a new one for 10 fastest laps in a single season (many of which stood for nearly fifteen years), whilst his seven consecutive wins equalled Alberto Ascari’s streak for Ferrari in 1952 and 1953. Schumacher’s pole position at Suzuka was his eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix, equalling Ayrton Senna’s record for most pole positions at the same Grand Prix.

This fine 1:8 scale model of the Ferrari F2004 is precisely as raced to victory by Michael Schumacher in the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2004 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the 13th of June 2004. The 2002 Canadian Grand Prix was chaotic, with only half the field being classified at the finish: six cars retired and another four were disqualified due to brake duct irregularities. Despite this, the Ferraris of Schumacher and Barrichello, starting sixth and seventh respectively, experienced relatively calm races, using a superbly executed two-stop strategy to creep up the order. The duo had to be patient, making initial gains when the Renaults suffered suspension failure and pit stop issues. As the leading cars made their third pit stops, Schumacher sailed past and went on to comfortably claim a seventh win from the last eight races. It was a record-extending 77th career victory and a record-setting seventh triumph in Canada alone, the first time that a driver had won the same Grand Prix on seven separate occasions. Ferrari were already far in the lead in the Constructors’ Championship, having scored twice as many points as their closest rivals.

This model has been hand-crafted utilising the original CAD data supplied directly by Scuderia Ferrari and has undergone strict scrutiny by both the design and engineering teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.