By Phil Huff
October 19 2006

Rubens Barrichello arrives at his home town wanting to put memories of 2003 behind him, with the Honda Racing F1 driver looking to benefit from having a home advantage. "My home race in Brazil is very special to me and always gives me a little bit of extra motivation," explains Barrichello. "I was born very close to Interlagos and whenever I dream about racing, it's always around this track.

"The first race that I saw there as a spectator was in 1980, when Rene Arnoux beat Elio de Angelis, and I've wanted to win it ever since," he continues. "It is frustrating that I've never won at home, especially as I should have won in 2003, but there was a problem with the fuel. I had such a robust car that year, yet it decided to let me down in my home race!"

Rubens has suffered appalling luck at Interlagos throughout his whole career, finishing just three times in 14 races. In 2004 he achieved a podium finish, but the year before had retired from the lead with just a few laps to go.

"The track is physically very tough because it's left-handed and quite bumpy," says Barrichello of Interlagos. "Some people say it's easy, but that's not the case because you need to have a good compromise between the low and the high-speed corners. You can't concede straight-line speed for extra grip through the slow corners, otherwise you will be overtaken."

Barrichello knows the track better than most, but is really looking forward to life outside of the paddock this weekend.

"Away from the track, there are many advantages to racing in my home city," he explains. "I have my family around me and I can go home every night and sleep in my own bed - all of that is a huge plus. The race weekend itself always goes by so fast because it is really hectic but it's one of the most enjoyable weekends of the year for me."