Barrichello out to prove he's number one
Rubens Barrichello today declared he is out to change the perception that Ferrari is a one-man team.
The Brazilian believes he has never had a better shot of winning the world title and, after spending three years developing with Ferrari in Michael Schumacher’s shadow, Barrichello is out to steal the limelight.
Schumacher has won the last four world titles, a domination occasionally scarred by instances such at that in Austria 2002 when Barrichello was controversially forced to pull over and let the German past.
Those days, he insisted, are now gone. Barrichello is here to mount a challenge and Schumacher had better be aware.
“The best thing I have done in my life, more than my career, is to understand myself, what happens when you are put in a difficult situation,” he said today in Kuala Lumpur.
“It is the way I behave inside the team. I have to believe in myself, I have to believe I am better than Michael if I am to win races.
“I never go to the track thinking he is the number one in the team, I am number two. The truth is I feel like we are a team. We go back four years.
“We both have a clause in our contract that says we have to obey orders if the team needs us to do so. But it has never been a clause that says I have to let Michael by.
“I don’t have a problem with Michael, I don’t have a problem with the team. My head is very firm with that.
“People who say that Ferrari is Michael’s team have every right because he has won the championship the last four years. But I am here to change that.”
Had Barrichello not suffered brake problems during the last third of the opening grand prix in Melbourne he is confident Schumacher would not have had such an easy stroll to victory.
He signed a new contract over the winter when many experts had expected his departure from Ferrari.
“When I came into Ferrari in 2000 I had a difficult situation. I had my speed but I didn’t have any experience in a top team,” he explained. “I had the chance to drive with the best in the world, which was Michael.
“Now I am a different driver, much more experienced, maybe even quicker than I was.
“When you put on paper the things I wanted from Ferrari – the engineering side the short- and medium-term prospects and what they could offer me – I thought Ferrari were the best option.
“People will say ‘but you could be number one and would probably do it a lot easier’ – but I thought that for the next three years, including this one, it was my best option.
“My chances of winning the world championship this season are the highest in my whole career.
“I have always been quite simple with the my thinking. Since I became a believer, someone who thinks a dream can become reality, you work for it.
“I know it is a very difficult task because I have a very quick and reliable team-mate. But I have shown I am capable of winning races and I just have to put words into actions on the racing track. I’m a believer and I hope I can put that into results.”
Barrichello cruised home to second place in Melbourne last week, some 21 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Renault.
He expects that gap to be far closer at Sepang on Sunday, where the steamy temperatures are not expected to suit Ferrari quite as well as a cool Melbourne afternoon.
McLaren surprised everyone with their disappointing performance in Melbourne and Barrichello does not believe Williams can mount as consistent a challenge as the Renault.
“There is a lot of talking about other teams and tyres and so on. I am very confident. I think we have a superb car, we have done a fantastic job over the winter to find new tyres,” he said.
“The race can go whatever way but I think we will have a good race and hopefully have a good drive to show our potential.
“I think Renault has a car that is very capable of posting consistent times throughout the race. They will be the main challenge here in Malaysia.
“I wouldn’t say they have the car to beat because I think ours is, but in Malaysia I think they will be in contention.”
Barrichello finished second here last year, behind Kimi Raikkonen who sealed his maiden grand prix victory.
A repeat performance for the Finn does not even appear to be in the team’s pre-race thinking.
“Although I would like to repeat the result, the main focus for the weekend is to work on improving out performance from Australia,” said Raikkonen, whose engine blew after nine laps at Albert Park.
