Europe: Rubens Barrichello Race Q&A


By Phil Huff
August 23 2009

Immediately following the European Grand Prix, race winner Rubens Barrichello sat down with the media to answer a few questions about his first post-Ferrari win, his emotions, and what clothes he'll wear to future events...

Rubens, so many difficult emotions in Budapest. But this win has been long, long overdue. You clearly have not forgotten how to win.

It has been fantastic. It has been a weekend that I will never forget especially because after five years you don't forget how to do it, but it is tough. In the middle of the race they were telling me push, push, push and although you are pushing like hell there are some things that go through your mind. You know that you cannot commit any mistakes and you want to do it for yourself, you want to do it for your country and you want to do it for your family. There was a lot going through my mind but the car has been perfect and I want to thank the team for that because it wasn't just me. The car was really brilliant.

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You were behind Heikki Kovalainen in the first stint but got ahead at the first stop. But that middle stint of the race with punch and counter-punch with Lewis was fantastic viewing.

It was fantastic. I had to push all the way through. Basically we had different tyres all through the race. There are some questions to see which ones were faster but for sure mine were very consistent and I was able to reduce my lap times every lap. Towards the end of the second stint I was able to catch him a little bit and that gave me some margin for those three or four laps that I pushed after he stopped. A brilliant job from the team. Great pit stops. Delightful. I wish this moment could be forever. I want to be here for the whole Monday as well, so please stay there.

Second in the Drivers' Championship now. When you drove down the pit lane to parc ferme all the teams were out there to applaud you. Rarely could there have been a more popular win. Sum up your feelings at this moment.

Well, I mean it has been 17 years. When I come into the track I come 15 minutes earlier and when I go out it takes me 15 minutes more because I know everyone. I have worked with almost 80 per cent of the paddock. All my wins seem to be so emotional. They are part of it as well, all the teams that I worked with as well. It has been a fantastic day. A hard win today to push all the way through but it is so delightful and I want to thank everyone who supported me, so 'thanks'.

How tough was that for a 37-year-old out there?

I was a bit emotional in the conference there and I forgot to say that I dedicate this to the whole of Brazil. But I forgot a special one which is Felipe (Massa). This race was for me a little bit more emotional than normal. I never felt it was my fault the spring coming out of my car. But I never, never wished that that would happen and it went to him. There were some bad people who wrote it and said it came out of my car but that didn't matter. He is such a good friend and I wish him all the very best. What I put on the helmet is my truth. I just wish he can come back. I had two wishes. First of all was to wish that he was the same guy and he is. He really is the same guy and second I wish he is the same driver and I think he is going to be even tougher, so that is my wish.

As we are talking about Brazil, you also set a very special Brazilian record today. The 100th win by a Brazilian driver.

Yeah, it is the 100th. A lot went through my mind. I have learnt in the 17 years how to be not emotional. I can freeze all my thoughts and just drive and I have been doing that very well. Some mistakes at the beginning of my career were because of these emotional thoughts and so on, but today was good. I was concentrated and so on but the last 10 laps everything came up in my mind. You hear all the noises. You hear everything and you can see people in the grandstands. It was a tough one but a fantastic one. Like I said, it seems it is always emotional when I win, but I hope I have a lot more. I hope I can win a lot more.

You said you are very proud to have scored the 100th Brazilian win.

Well, it goes through history, doesn't it. The 100th number is always going to be famous. I don't care very much about numbers. I just care about my work and the recognition from my work. I think the team knows very well. Last year people seemed to think that was it for me, but now I can show that it wasn't. I have always thought I had it in me. I think I have just reached the peak of my speed, so I have more on me. I hope I can carry on.

So how tough was it? It was obviously very hot and a very twisty circuit.

Yeah, you know it was a good race because on this circuit it is so easy to put a foot wrong. The lines on the track started to pick up rubber but the outside just stayed with more marbles and it is just more difficult if you put a wheel wrong. So to overtake cars on the track it is a little bit more difficult. You have to push but at the same time you have to be consistent and I think what won today was my consistency. My lap times were very, very consistent and I was focused on changing the brake balance all the time and that made the car good for almost every corner. I was safe with that and I could push. The car in front is always not so good for your car, so as soon as they went to the pit I could go faster and that is how I won the race.

How much was it a worry on the softer tyre as you were on a different strategy to Lewis?

It was not a worry. We knew that we could also have started on the softer rubber, but sometimes you have the risky strategy and sometimes you have the consistent one and we knew that just with the consistent one if everything went to plan then we could win the race. That was the case for us. I wasn't at all worried with the softer tyres at the end. I could have pushed harder. I was controlling myself with the gap, so I was within the limit and it was just nice. The car was better on the softer tyre.

You said to us Brazilian journalists that you will be in Formula One until you have a chance to be a World Champion. Do you think this is your year, and secondly, does this very good victory help you to have a 2010 contract?

I'm here because I love the racing side. If you really think it was a tough winter to wait for all the answers and you call and there's no answer and nobody knows what to say. Somehow I knew I was going to race, so to be able to get to driving and when I drove I felt the car is good, we're going to win races, that was a hell of a step, so everything kept on getting better and better. I had a fantastic season last year with a bad car, better than Jenson (Button) and all of a sudden Jenson was well prepared at the beginning of the season and he stepped up and was able to conquer and win races. You guys from Brazil know that I'm a believer and I dream and I work very hard. I think that's the only way I can try to put myself into a winning situation. I had a great holiday and I came back ready for this, so it's a great win. Of course it puts me into a better situation in the championship, I just have to keep on working, I think it's very, very much possible. For next year, I wish to carry on. It's early, there's lots of talking because of (Fernando) Alonso and this and that but as I said, it takes me 15 minutes to get out of the circuit because I talk to everyone and I love to talk to everyone, so I'm really leaving my chances open for next year.

As you said before, this is a special victory in many ways for you. Is it special even because it's your first victory away from Ferrari?

As well, as well. When I left Ferrari, I left them because I felt that my limit was enough to prove to them that I deserved the chance to win, so I wanted to get out and see if I could have a chance somewhere else. But unfortunately I never got the car. For three years the Ferrari car was a hell of a lot better, so it was not possible. This is the very first time that I do have a car and so it is special, it comes at the right time.

You showed before in parc ferme your helmet with Felipe's colours on it. Could you describe when you decided to wear those colours and if you discussed it with Felipe?

I just told him that I had something for him if he didn't mind. He said 'of course not'. I tell you, I spent a whole afternoon with him and he has such a good memory. He said something about lines at this race here and for sure they did help, because he was superb here last year and so I watched the race after we'd spoken. I got home and I watched the race again – I like to do that sometimes because it's been a year on a new track, so just to refresh your mind. It was great that his colours were with me, that he was telling me some of the good lines that he had last year, so it was a win too.

Can you comment on the balance with Jenson? I believe that you have out-qualified him in three of the last four race weekends. You've out-driven him here. Do you feel that the competitive advantage has actually shifted in your favour now as we go into the last part of the season?

Jenson is always very competitive, he's a hard worker. He drives the car very well, very, very smoothly, so you just have to be on the top of your game all the time. I cannot say that yes, from now on it's one way or the other. During the past three years we have been better in some areas of the championship and then he got better and then I got better and the best thing for the team is that we push each other very, very much. I think this is really good for the team. So although, yes, I feel that I've been putting… my problems at the beginning of the year was to qualify the car on heavy fuel which he seemed to be happier about than I was. If you take Q2, I qualify in front of him more often than he does me. But Q3 has been a bit of a problem, especially setting up the car for the race, not for qualifying and not getting the optimum temperature on the tyres. I just hope so. Next weekend is going to be a hell of a good weekend for us to prove the car is competitive again because the temperatures should be lower, so it's going to be a good fight, but at least it's a healthy fight between ourselves. I think we try to beat each other very, very hard, but in a fair way.

Are you going to come to Formula One races wearing a Corinthians t-shirt every time?

It's my soccer team. Just because I come in… well, it brings me luck, maybe.

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