SAO PAULO, 25 October 2004 — Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya handed Williams a parting gift by winning yesterday’s season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix in his last race for the team. It was Williams’ first victory since Montoya, moving to McLaren for 2005, triumphed in Germany at Hockenheim in August last year.
Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen, the Colombian’s future teammate, crossed the line a second behind with local favorite Rubens Barrichello third in a Ferrari. Ferrari and Michael Schumacher had already clinched both Formula One championships long ago.
The German, who took his seventh title in Belgium in August, fought his way up to seventh place after starting 18th on the grid.
Barrichello had started on pole position for the second year running but third place, 24.0 seconds off the lead, was still a breakthrough for the man who grew up within earshot of the Interlagos circuit. It was his first finish in a decade of starts at his home race and he became the first Brazilian to score points in Brazil since 1994, the year in which three times champion Ayrton Senna was killed in a Williams at Imola.
