It’s taken a while for FOCA to get their act together with F1 review DVDs – too long, really – but the 2004 DVD delivers the goods.
The picture quality is as good as we’re going to get until high-definition becomes the norm, and the sound quality is similarly high.
A shame, then, that 2004 was such a dismal season. Some people blamed Ferrari’s rivals for not doing a good enough job, others blamed the lingering effects of the FIA’s banning of Michelin’s tyres in late 2003, and still others felt the gimmick value of the previous season’s rules had worn off.
Whatever, seeing Michael Schumacher romp off to 12 wins in the first 13 races is no less repetitive in retrospect than it was the first time.
A couple of decent races towards the end liven thing up – Belgium and Brazil, notably. But otherwise the racing action is poor and the commentary is yet again simply not up to scratch.
It’s also time some thought was given to enlivening the packaging with extra material – in the box and on the disk.
Best bit: Crash fans have Jarno Trulli’s stellar effort at Silverstone, but racing purists will appreciate the tense duel between Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen at Spa.
F1 Fanatic verdict
F1 Fanatic earns a commission on products sold via the links to our affiliate partners above, however you are not charged any extra. See here for more information.
Reviews
- “F1: The Pinnacle”: book reviewed
- “The Science of the Racer’s Brain”: book reviewed
- “Moto GP 22”: the official Moto GP game reviewed
- “Monster Energy Supercross 5”: official game reviewed (PS5 – Xbox S|X)
- “Formula Helmet: The Glorious Years of Formula 1 Helmets 1969-99”: book reviewed
- “Assetto Corsa Competizione” – PS5 and Xbox Series S|X upgrade review
- “Max – The Dutch Master”: Verstappen biography reviewed
- Gran Turismo 7: The first ‘Real Driving Simulator’ for nine years reviewed
- Drive to Survive season four review: Still as fun, flawed and unmissable as ever
- Grid Legends: Codemasters’ arcade racer with a ‘Drive to Survive’ twist reviewed
