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 Racing Confidential: Inside stories from the world of Formula One” reviewed
- Max who? Drive to Survive season six prefers its favourite faces
- “100 Years of Legends: The Official Celebration of the Le Mans 24 Hours” book reviewed
- “Starting from the Back of the Grid” by Kris Henley reviewed
- “Benetton: Rebels of Formula 1” book reviewed
- “EA WRC” – Codemasters’ first official World Rally Championship game reviewed
- ‘Charles Leclerc’ and ‘Lando Norris’ biographies reviewed
- “Tyrrell: The story of the Tyrrell Racing Organisation” reviewed
- “F1 Manager 23” reviewed – A successful upgrade package?
- ‘F1 23’ reviewed: Do new additions and return of story mode make it a must-buy?