Bahrain GP Review

The team return from the inaugural race of the season in Bahrain with just one point following Rubens' 10th place. Sam Michael de-briefs the weekend from a technical perspective.

Q: Did the performance of the FW32 match your pre-season expectations?
SM: We had quite a few issues to sort out in the days leading up to the Grand Prix and it became apparent early on that we would have some fire-fighting to do in the build-up to the race to ensure we finished on Sunday. Because of that, we had three or four things on the FW32 in Bahrain that we couldn't change quickly. Most of those elements can be corrected over the next couple of races and that should offer a good step in performance.

Q: Rubens set the sixth fastest lap of the race. Does that give us an indication of the car’s true potential?
SM: Not really. When Rubens set that time he actually had some damage on his car. We expect to be stronger in forthcoming races.

Q: How did the tyres hold up during the race, particularly during the early stages when the car was at its heaviest?
SM: Tyres weren't a problem. The option was the strongest tyre throughout the race. The prime was good, but it offered less grip.

Q: Did the team have any reliability problems during the course of the weekend?
SM: Yes. We had some issues during practice but, through a huge amount of effort and late nights put in by the team’s mechanics, we managed to keep them contained.

Q: Were you pleased with the performance of the Cosworth engine?
SM: Yes. The engine is good and the crew in Northampton have done an exceptional job in a short space of time.

Q: How did Nico handle his race debut?
SM: Nico handled himself well. He was quick throughout practice, but then he made a small, but time costly, mistake in qualifying. He then had a bit of a messy race. Nico is a smart guy who's developing a great relationship with his engineers, Tom McCullough and Andrew Murdoch, and I know he'll deliver.


Race Results
Driver Grid Position Pit Stops Best Lap Result
R Barrichello P11 1 1:59.833 (6th) 10th
N Hulkenberg P13 2 (3, 25) 2:01.401 (15th) 14th

Barrichello tips Williams to surprise

Rubens Barrichello is optimistic that his Williams team will prove to be one of the surprises of the year after encouraging times in recent tests.

Williams has spent much of the winter doing long runs and proving its reliability, but Nico Hulkenberg was quickest on Friday at Barcelona - and Barrichello thinks that performance has changed perceptions of their team.

"I think Nico's time on Friday was the very first time we tried low fuel in the car, and we surprised a few people, so all of a sudden Williams is being talked about in the paddock," he said.

"This winter it was very, very easy to become the hero of the winter test. If I took fuel out at every test I would've been first at every test, but would that have taught me what I now know from the car? I don't think so."

Thought reluctant to predict where Williams would be in the pecking order, Barrichello is confident that the team has gained ground during testing.

"We have improved - we can only say for ourselves - but we have improved a good second from Valencia," he said.

"We feel competitive, but I think Williams-Cosworth can be one of the teams to surprise people this year. But like I said it's really, really difficult and I'm just keeping myself very clear, my feet on the ground, and just working as hard as I can. But I feel the car is on a competitive level."

He is also certain that Williams is in great shape reliability-wise.

"The main topic of the first three tests, at Valencia, Jerez and Jerez, was to absolutely nail reliability - and we have done that very, very, very well," Barrichello said.

Rosberg should 'get out' - Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello has warned Nico Rosberg that he may need to 'get out' of Mercedes GP if he wants to achieve his full potential in Formula 1, now that Michael Schumacher is his team-mate.

Barrichello has mixed emotions about his lengthy spell alongside Schumacher at Ferrari - especially as he had to play a number two role for most of his time there.

When asked if he had any advice for Schumacher's new team-mate Rosberg, Barrichello's cheeky response was: "Yeah. Get out of there! That is the only thing I can tell him. He needs to drive fast and don't crash: Ross will always tell you that before the race."

Although Barrichello admits his comment is slightly extreme, he does think that the speed that Schumacher showed on his return to F1 action at Valencia should serve as a warning to Rosberg.

"He [Nico] is a great talent and I wish him all the best, and maybe tomorrow you will see the newspapers saying, 'Rubens tells Nico to get out of there', but I am not being bad about it," he said.

"Knowing what I know, and seeing how fast Michael went today, it is going to be a tough job. I wish him all the best because I think he is a talented boy who can be world champion. If he has the chances of being world champion in the same team as Michael, then he can be world champion anywhere. Let's put it this way."

Despite his comments about racing alongside Schumacher in the same team, Barrichello has welcomed the return of veterans like the seven-time champion and Pedro de la Rosa to F1 this year.

"It is good to see them back," he said. "I think after last year, when I drove a competitive car and almost won the championship, it honestly gives some of the people from the paddock a different sensation.

"Because five years ago it was all about Kimi Raikkonen and new drivers - F1 wanting new drivers all the time. With [Robert] Kubica it was all the same. Now with the lack of testing, no testing, it makes the older drivers attractive."

Brawn thankful to Barrichello

Ross Brawn has praised Rubens Barrichello's contribution at the Brawn team following the confirmation that the Brazilian will leave the squad.

Barrichello, the most experienced driver in F1 history, finished in third place in the standings this year, having scored two wins as Brawn went on to take both titles.

The veteran Brazilian, however, will leave Brawn and join the Williams team in the 2010 season, when he will be partnered by German Nico Hulkenberg.

Team boss Brawn thanked Barrichello for his work at the Brackley-based squad.

"We are very pleased for Rubens that he will be driving in Formula 1 once again next year," said Brawn. "Rubens was with our team for four years and we regard him as a highly experienced and talented driver whose contribution to the team over that period was significant.

"2009 was a very special season for Brawn GP and I am extremely proud of the spirit in which our drivers Rubens and Jenson fought for the Drivers' Championship.

"Rubens contributed hugely to our success in the Constructors' Championship with two great victories in Valencia and Monza along with numerous podiums and he was a pleasure to work with.

"We wish Rubens the very best with his new team and thank him for his contribution to Brawn GP this year."

Williams signs Barrichello, Hulkenberg

Williams has confirmed that Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg will be its two drivers next season, as AUTOSPORT predicted.

The signing of the duo means the team will have an all-new pairing for 2010, as it also makes the switch from Toyota to Cosworth power.

Barrichello arrives at the team after a strong season for Brawn GP, where he fought team mate Jenson Button for the championship - taking two victories on the way.

AUTOSPORT revealed ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix that Barrichello was closing in on a deal to join Williams for 2010 - although a contract is only believed to have been finalised in the last few weeks.

Hulkenberg has been signed up on the back of an impressive season in GP2, where he took the championship in dominant fashion. The German has been Williams's test driver since 2008.

Williams believes that the mixture of experience and youth will provide the kind of combination it needs to make the push back to the front of the grid. The team is chasing its first victory in Formula 1 since the end of the 2004 season.

Team principal Frank Williams said: "Rubens needs no introduction. He is not only the most experienced driver in Formula 1, but a passionate and talented driver who fought hard for the drivers' championship this year.

"Nico Hulkenberg won the GP2 Championship this season as a rookie and has previously won the F3 Euro Series, A1 GP and Formula BMW Germany."

The future of Williams' 2009 drivers has yet to be confirmed. Nico Rosberg is understood to have signed a deal with Mercedes-Benz to race for Brawn GP next year - but this will not be announced until the German car manufacturer's future F1 plans have been settled.

Kazuki Nakajima has a troubled campaign with Williams, failing to score a single point all year, and he is not expected to find a berth elsewhere despite being part of Toyota's young driver programme.

Barrichello: Williams on the way up

Rubens Barrichello thinks Williams is a team 'on the up', ahead of his expected switch to the Grove-based outfit next season.

Williams is set to announce on Monday that Barrichello will partner Nico Hulkenberg at the Cosworth-powered team in 2010, as the outfit opts for an all new driver line-up.

And although Barrichello has drawn short of confirming that he will be heading to Williams next year, he has openly spoken in praise of the outfit - after stating that his mind was now made up about his future plans.

"Williams has always been a team that anyone would have a look at," said Barrichello in Abu Dhabi. "That is no different right now.

"Everyone would look at a position at Williams, because it is one of the best teams out there – and they are on the way up. So I am definitely looking at that."

Barrichello said that he wanted to wait until after the season had finished before announcing his future plans, but he was hopeful that the car he will get his hands on in 2010 will allow him the chance to keep fighting for wins.

His comments come despite outgoing Williams driver Nico Rosberg saying that he had decided to leave the team because he felt it could not provide him with a winning car in 2010.

Barrichello said: "I want to win. I have a lot of passion for the speed. I have a lot of passion for the overtaking, and for the things that pump me up – the challenge of winning. That is what I want.

"The three years I had at Honda were very, very difficult, but you motivate yourself and you go for it. I am very hopeful of having a very competitive car next year, so that is what I want from myself. I want to go on and keep on winning."

He added: "I'm waiting for the season to end and just to come out and tell you everything I have to say. Right now, I'm not waiting for Jenson to do this, or some others to do that. My mind is pretty well fixed, but it is not the right time to talk about that right now."

Barrichello lends Button his plane

Newly crowned world champion Jenson Button will be allowed to celebrate his title with his team, friends and family in Brazil on Sunday night - after Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello generously laid on his private jet to take the Briton back home on Monday morning.

Button had originally been scheduled to fly to London on the Sunday night British Airways flight out of Sao Paulo, but that plan was thrown into doubt with the scheduled aircraft suffering technical problems.

And although there remains the chance that the flight will still be able to leave, Button has been allowed to stay in Brazil on Sunday night thanks to the generosity of his team-mate.

Even though Barrichello suffered the disappointment of seeing his own title ambitions end with an eighth place in the race, he told Button that he would fly him and his entourage out of Brazil in his own private jet on Monday morning – ready for the new world champion's first public appearances in the UK from Tuesday.

Button is due to appear at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on Tuesday afternoon for a sponsorship event on behalf of Virgin Media.

Qualifying - Barrichello rises to the challenge in Brazil

Thunderstorms had been predicted for Interlagos on Saturday, and the forecast proved devastatingly accurate as heavy rain turned qualifying into the longest session ever held in Formula One history. It began at 1400 and ended two hours and 41 minutes later!

Along the way it left luminaries such as Brawn GP’s Jenson Button down in 14th, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in 16th and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton in 18th, as Rubens Barrichello did his title hopes a power of good by grabbing pole position for his home race.

For a while it seemed there might not even be a qualifying session, and that it might have to be postponed until Sunday morning.

The weather had relented slightly at the start of Q1, and Vettel initially set the fastest time and Ferrari’s Giancarlo Fisichella went second. But the luckless Italian half spun in Turn One and blocked the track. Out came the red flag. When things were restarted there was a moment when the track was marginally better, and that was when the quick times were set, but Vettel was not able to take advantage of that moment, and his eventual 1m 25.009s made him the first man who failed to make the cut. Starting in 16th place, his championship chances seemed all but over barring a miracle.

Neither of the McLarens made it, either. Heikki Kovalainen was 17th on 1m 25.052s, while Lewis Hamilton spun away his chances on fresh Bridgestone full wets and will line up 18th on 1m 25.192s. BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld never got it together either, and was 19th on 1m 25.515s, with Fisichella last on 1m 40.703s.

The moment Q2 began there was another red flag after Vitantonio Liuzzi, following close behind Raikkonen, aquaplaned on a huge puddle on the pit straight, hit the pit wall, then clobbered the outer wall in Turn One backwards. Exit one Force India with seriously deranged suspension.

Then we went into a hurry up and wait situation. Out went Alan van der Merwe in the medical car to do a track inspection at 1530. Too wet. Out he went again at 1545. Too wet. At 1600. Same answer. No, wait. It was light outside. The horizon was visible again. A restart at 1610!

It proved to be the undoing of Button, who had earlier in the week ventured the opinion that qualifying matters less here than normal. He stayed out too long on his full wet tyres and wore them out, and admitted later that he should have switched to intermediates.

Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi continued his impressive progress on his debut, only a long slide stopping him getting through to the top 10, but a 1m 21.960s lap, and 11th place for his first Grand Prix, was impressive. Behind him Jaime Alguersuari lapped his Toro Rosso in 1m 22.231s for 12th ahead of Romain Grosjean on 1m 22.477s for Renault and Button on 1m 22.504s.

That left Q3, which was the only session to run to its intended 10-minute schedule. This proved a gripping one, with the fastest time changing hands between Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi, Barrichello, BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, Williams’ Nico Rosberg, Barrichello again, Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Webber again, then finally Barrichello. And further down the timesheet, the order was changing lap by lap too.

In the end Barrichello’s 1m 19.576s beat Webber’s 1m 19.668s, with Adrian Sutil sprinting up to third for Force India right at the end on 1m 19.912s.

Trulli’s 1m 20.097s left him fourth, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari on 1m 20.168s, Buemi on 1m 20.250, Rosberg on 1m 20.326s, Kubica on 1m 20.631s and Kazuki Nakajima in the other Williams on 1m 20.674s. Fernando Alonso was 10th overall for Renault, with 1m 21.422s.

So that was a remarkable, prolonged qualifying session. The forecast is for better weather on Sunday, with the possibility of showers rather than thunderstorms. Vettel, for one, will be praying for more rain to increase the likelihood of a race of attrition. Button, 14th with his team mate on pole, will just be praying.

Home glory essential for Barrichello

This weekend Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello faces arguably the most important race of his 17-year Formula One career. If he performs anything less than brilliantly at the Brazilian Grand Prix his team mate Jenson Button, who has a 14-point lead in the standings, could well wrap up the drivers’ title. Hence a win is all but essential if Barrichello is to keep his long-held hopes alive ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that the Interlagos race is the 37 year-old’s home event. With Nelson Piquet ousted from his Renault drive and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa still recovering from Hungary crash, Sao Paulo native Barrichello is the sole Brazilian runner and will thus have the hopes of an entire nation resting on his shoulders as he races off the line on Sunday.

The passionate Paulista fans are famously hard. Last year they were robbed at the death when Lewis Hamilton’s last-lap pass on Timo Glock stole the title from under Massa’s nose. This season they are again in with a chance of celebrating their first champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991, so the weight of expectation will be particularly heavy. It will be Barrichello’s 17th Formula One outing at Interlagos, so if he’s not used to the pressure now, he never will be.

Barrichello was actually born within earshot of the legendary track, and after growing tired of sneaking into the circuit to watch races for free, he started to compete. He finished third in his first karting event, second in his second and first in his third, and hasn’t looked back since. But despite this affinity with the venue, the veteran of 286 Grands Prix and winner of 11 has actually never scored an F1 win at Interlagos.

That’s not to say he hasn’t come close. In 1994 he took a well-deserved fourth place for Jordan, while two years later he took a spectacular P2 on the grid and looked set for a podium before he spun off with brake problems. After that 1996 outing, Barrichello couldn’t shake off a run of bad luck and from 1997 to 2002 he racked up six consecutive retirements. Gearboxes, engines, penalties and mistakes were all to blame over the years.

Then, in 2003, prospects for his home race suddenly looked brighter than ever. He took a dominant pole position in the Ferrari and, despite chaotically rainy conditions, led for most of the race. Then, just eight laps from home, he stopped out on track. A fuel feed problem was blamed, although some suspected he simply ran out of fuel. A year later he took pole again and this time finished third to take his very first Interlagos podium. It remains Barrichello’s best finish at the track.

Since then he’s finished no higher than sixth, but given his recent successes with Brawn, Barrichello has every right to expect a reversal in fortunes this weekend. Of course team mate, and standing’s leader, Button has exactly the same car under him, and so to evaluate Barrichello’s chances one must also look back at the British driver’s record at Interlagos.

Interestingly, Button has also recorded just one third-place finish, back in 2006 for Honda. Perhaps more tellingly, however, Button has never taken pole in Brazil and since becoming Barrichello’s team mate in 2006, has never come close to out-qualifying the local hero.

With his intimate knowledge of the track, his incomparable set-up skills, and the boost provided by an adoring home crowd, 2009 could be Barrichello’s best chance yet of banishing his Interlagos demons once and for all - and with a title at stake, it couldn’t come at a better time