Barrichello says title bid still realistic

Rubens Barrichello says his world championship bid is still 'very much alive' even though he now has to out-score team-mate Jenson Button by five points in Brazil next weekend to keep the title battle open.


Although Barrichello has steadily edged closer to Button in recent months, he has only narrowed the gap slower - taking just one point out of his team-mate's advantage in Japan last weekend, leaving them 14 points apart with two rounds to go.


But despite needing a big score at home at Interlagos in a fortnight, Rubens still regards himself as a very realistic title contender.


"I'm not there calculating what I can do and what I can't do," he said.



"It's just a matter of going there, winning the race and seeing what happens.


"The chances are smaller, but they're not as small as when I was 26 behind at one point in the championship.


"It's very much alive."


He promised to push flat-out for victory rather than focusing on keeping ahead of Button.


"I've got to go there and win the race, that's the aim," Barrichello said.


"The rest, I don't care about, and if I deserve to win the championship, I will.


"I'm not going to be there in the middle of the race thinking if five plus five is ten...


"Five plus five in Japan was six - I qualified fifth, had a five-place penalty and started sixth!


"I have no intention whatsoever to look at points.


"My intention there is to win the race."


Barrichello reiterated that he will have happy memories of 2009 - and Brawn's incredible rise from the ashes of the unsuccessful Honda team - whatever the outcome of the title race.


"It's been a very positive year whatever happens," he said.


"At the beginning of the year I had no drive, the team had no engine.


"The Brawn-Mercedes is a fantastic car and team altogether, and we've got to be very happy with that.


"Hopefully we're going to win the constructors' and although [Sebastian] Vettel is now much closer to us, hopefully I'm going to be fighting for the championship to the end and will win if I deserve to win by Abu Dhabi.