One of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in the history of Formula 1 centres around one of the most dominant cars ever – the F2004. At the time, and for a while afterwards, Ferrari’s 2004 challenger was the fastest car in the history of the sport. However, when the car was being raced, Formula 1 had mandated the use of grooved tyres.
By limiting the contact patch between the tyres and the track surface, the grooved tyres regulation slowed the cars down significantly. Less mechanic grip will always result in a loss of lap time. As such, the question has always been: how fast would a 2004 Ferrari with slicks be?
F2004 On Slicks – Against Modern F1 Cars
We decided to put the F2004 to the test, virtually of course. In order to settle the debate once and for all, we brought several other Ferraris from the past and present of Formula 1 and raced them against the F2004. The arena for this monumental battle was to be Spa, and the simulation of choice was the eminently mod-able Assetto Corsa.
So, how will the F2004 fare? How much faster will it be than some of the classic Ferraris from the late 1970s? What about against the last Ferrari to win the constructer’s title before the Schumacher era – the 1983 model.
More importantly, how will a 2004 Ferrari with slicks stack up against modern machinery? We pit it against one of its immediate successors in the form of the F2007, then against the F150 from 2011. Finally, we also tested it against non-Ferrari renditions of current F1 cars, in the form of the RSS Formula Hybrid 2021 and the VRC Formula Alpha 2022. Just how legendary is one of the most mythologised cars in F1 history? Watch our latest video to find out!
Do you think the 2004 Ferrari is the best F1 car of all time? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
