profile Rubens Barrichello

Name:
Rubens Barrichello
Born:
May 23, 1972 Sao Paulo, Brazil

Team:
Honda
Height:
5'6"
Weight:
157 lbs.

Hobbies:
Karting, Golf, Bowling

Previous F1 Teams:

* 1993 - 1996 Jordan
* 1997 - 1999 Stewart
* 2000 - 2005 Ferrari
* 2006 - 2008 Honda
Victories:
9

Background:

Racing was a part of Rubens' life since he was born, as he grew up beside the Interlagos race track, where the Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paulo takes place. As a child he would sneak in through the fence to watch the races. He began go-karting at age 6, and became Brazilian champion. But like just about all of the South American drivers who had ambitions to go into F1, as a teenager he went to live and race in Europe. In 1990 he won the European Formula Opel series, and the following year he won the British Formula 3 title. In 1992 he finished third in Formula 3000.

His Career Thus Far:

When started in Formula 1, Rubens was only 20 years old. By only his third race he was seen as a future star. It was the European Grand Prix at Donington, England. Five laps from the end he was third, when a fuel pressure problem forced him to retire. His mentor, friend and countryman, Ayrton Senna, won the race in one of his greatest drives in the wet.

The following year, Rubens also played a minor role on a weekend that would be remembered for Senna, this time as a tragedy. During Friday practice at the San Marino Grand Prix, Barrichello had a wild crash and injured his arm. The next day, Roland Ratzenberg was killed in an accident. During the race on the Sunday, Senna crashed into a wall and also died.

Suddenly, the youngster carried all the weight of Brazil's hopes for a new star. It took years for him to absorb the shock of Senna's death and the responsibility to his country.

He would not win his first race until the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim in 2000. On the victory podium, Barrichello cried, looked into the sky and thought of Senna.

Driving Style:

Barrichello is one of the smoothest, fastest and most incisive of drivers. Although it looked when arriving at Honda in 2006 as if he might be overshadowed by his new younger teammate, Jenson Button, the Brazilian worked closely with the engineers to resolve his problems with the car. He was soon in excellent form and giving Button a hard time.

Character:

Starting as young as he did, Barrichello's early years would forever be marked by the shadow of Senna, and many people wondered if he would ever come into his own. After leaving Jordan and joining the Stewart team in 1997, he did just that.

Joining Ferrari as Michael Schumacher's teammate in 2000, he finally had a car capable of winning. Unfortunately, Schumacher was Ferrari's No. 1 driver. As a result, Barrichello often came under public criticism for being too soft, and allowing Schumacher to win races that Rubens should have won. Yet at the Austrian Grand Prix of 2002, Rubens protested a team demand that he hand Schumacher the lead for the victory. He waited until the last yards of the last lap before slowing down to hand victory to Schumacher, and it caused worldwide scorn.
Rubens later said that he was happy to stay at a team where he could win races occasionally, even if it meant serving his teammate at other times.