Barrichello takes emotional victory in Valencia

Rubens Barrichello earned his first victory of the season thanks to an aggressive drive in the European Grand Prix at Valencia. It has been five years since the Brazilian last took the chequered flag for Ferrari. By coming home first Rubens has silenced his critics and after all that frustrations in previous events, this result was well deserved.

The Brawn GP driver inherited the win in what appears to be a mistake by the McLaren pit crew during Lewis Hamilton’s second pit stop. A delay in bringing out the Bridgestone tyres cost the chance for Lewis to take his second consecutive victory, which is a shame as the defending world champion was dominating this race from the front.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen drove a solid race to finish in third ahead of fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren.

Nico Rosberg continues to deliever more points for Williams with fifth, with home crowd favourite Fernando Alonso sixth for Renault. A big improvement compared to his early retirement last year.

Championship leader Jenson Button had a difficult race in the Brawn and was disappointed to finish the European Grand Prix down in seventh. His lead is the drivers’ standings have been reduced to 18 points with his team-mate becoming his nearest challenger for title honours.

But at least Jenson’s main title rivals Red Bull Racing failed to score any significant points with Mark Webber finishing in ninth while a second engine failure ended the race for Sebastian Vettel.

Robert Kubica finished a poignant eighth for BMW Sauber. An appropriate result given the events last month.

As for the rest, Adrian Sutil did a solid job in the Force India to finish tenth, ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Giancarlo Fisichella.

The Toyota pair of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock came next in P13 and P14, with the latter setting the fastest lap of the race – two from the end.

The rookies took the final positions, with Romain Grosjean leading home Jaime Alguersuari and Luca Badoer.

The Ferrari stand-in driver seemed out of depth during the 57-lap race resulting in a drive-through penalty after crossing the white line exiting the pits and a spin in the closing stages of the Grand Prix.

Sebastien Buemi was the only other retirement with late-race brake failure in the Toro Rosso.

So Brawn increased their constructors’ championship lead over Red Bull, 126 points to 98.5, and Barrichello vaulted back to second place in the drivers’ with 54 points to Webber’s 51.5.

Barrichello’s win marked the 100th by a Brazilian driver, and fittingly he dedicated it to Felipe Massa, who had advised him on racing lines only last week. It was also the 250th race for the McLaren Mercedes partnership, and Bridgestone’s 150th victory. And it left the title fight wide open as the paddock heads to Belgium next week.

Race results from Valencia, 57 laps:

1.  Barrichello   Brawn-Mercedes          1h35:51.289
2.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes        +2.358
3.  Raikkonen     Ferrari                 +15.994
4.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes        +20.032
5.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota         +20.870
6.  Alonso        Renault                 +27.744
7.  Button        Brawn-Mercedes          +34.913
8.  Kubica        BMW Sauber              +36.667
9.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault        +44.910
10.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes   +47.935
11.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber             +48.822
12.  Fisichella    Force India-Mercedes   +1:03.614
13.  Trulli        Toyota                 +1:04.527
14.  Glock         Toyota                 +1:26.519
15.  Grosjean      Renault                +1:31.774
16.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari     +1 lap
17.  Badoer        Ferrari                +1 lap
18.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota        +3 laps

Fastest lap: Glock, 1:38.683

Not classified/retirements:

Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari    42 laps
Vettel        Red Bull-Renault      24 laps

World Championship standings, round 11:

Drivers:

1.  Button        72
2.  Barrichello   54
3.  Webber        51.5
4.  Vettel        47
5.  Rosberg       29.5
6.  Hamilton      27
7.  Raikkonen     24
8.  Trulli        22.5
9.  Massa         22
10.  Glock         16
11.  Alonso        16
12.  Kovalainen    14
13.  Heidfeld       6
14.  Buemi          3
15.  Kubica         3
16.  Bourdais       2

Constructors:

1.  Brawn-Mercedes        126
2.  Red Bull-Renault       98.5
3.  Ferrari                46
4.  McLaren-Mercedes       41
5.  Toyota                 38.5
6.  Williams-Toyota        29.5
7.  Renault                16
8.  BMW Sauber              9
9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari      5

Next race: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps. August 28-30.

9 thoughts to “Barrichello takes emotional victory in Valencia”

  1. The top three drivers on the 57-lap race at Valencia. Taken from Autosport.com.

    Rubens Barrichello says he will never forget his victory at the European Grand Prix, after an emotional day for the Brazilian.

    Barrichello scored his first victory of the season and the first with a team other than Ferrari, ending a win drought that lasted five seasons.

    The emotional Brazilian also moved back into second place in the championship standings, 18 points behind team-mate Jenson Button, seventh today.

    Today’s was Barrichello tenth win in an F1 career that began in 1993.

    “It has been fantastic, a weekend that I will never forget especially because after five years you don’t forget how to do it,” said Barrichello after winning again 81 races later.

    “It was tough, in the race every time you push, push, push and although you are pushing like hell there are things that go through your mind.

    “You want to do it for yourself, your country, your family, there was a lot going through my mind. The car was perfect and I have to thank the team for that.

    “I wish this moment could be forever… I’ll be here for the whole of Monday too so stay there!”

    The Brawn driver, 37, put on a superb second stint during the race to beat world champion Lewis Hamilton.

    “It was fantastic, I had to push all the way through,” he said of the middle stint. “We had different tyres through the race, there as some question about which was faster but for sure mine was very consistent. I was able to produce my times every lap.

    “It has been a fantastic day, a hard one to push all the way through, but I am so delighted and I want to thank all those who supported me.”

    Barrichello becomes the fifth grand prix winner this season.

    World champion Lewis Hamilton refused to blame his McLaren team for the mistake that cost him a chance of victory at the European Grand Prix.

    Hamilton led the race from pole position until his second pitstop, when one of his tyres was not ready in time, making the Briton lose valuable seconds.

    After the pitstop, Hamilton emerged in second place behind Rubens Barrichello, who went on to win the race, 2.3 seconds ahead of the McLaren driver.

    Hamilton was far from upset with his team, and instead praised its effort in the last races.

    “We win or lose together, and they have had a tremendous effort to get us here so we could not at all take second place for granted, or be disappointed that we didn’t get the win,” said Hamilton.

    “We have had extraordinary pace for us the last two/three races, and I still feel and believe there is a tremendous effort from everyone.

    “These things happen, and this could only be the second time in all the races I’ve done. For all they have done they deserve a pat on the back.

    “We need to catch these guys (Brawn) up as I believe they are quicker than us.”

    Hamilton, winner of the previous race in Hungary, closed the gap to Barrichello over the final laps, but was unable to beat the Brazilian.

    “The first part of the race was very well controlled from my point of view, it was consistent,” he said.

    “In the second stint I was struggling on my tyres and to keep up the race Rubens had, especially in the high speed corners.That seemed to be where he was catching me.

    “I kept pushing and the last stint on primes was a little better for me. I pushed and pushed, it was like a qualifying lap every lap, very close to the wall every time and really I can happily go home knowing I took it all.”

    Team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finished in fourth position as McLaren moved into fourth place in the standings.

    Kimi Raikkonen said he was happy with his third podium finish of the 2009 season after coming home in third at the European Grand Prix.

    Despite having started from sixth position, the Ferrari driver made his way through the field and finished 15 seconds behind race winner Rubens Barrichello in one of the Italian squad’s strongest races this season.

    Raikkonen admitted he had push hard during the whole race, given Ferrari is still behind its rivals in terms of pace.

    “We needed to go 100 percent all the time,” he said. “I had a good feeling with the car: from Friday it was working on the long stints and I was hoping it would be okay in the race. It turned out to be good.

    “We know we are not where we need to be, we are a little behind but once we get the car running well, then usually we can fight for third if something weird happens in the race.

    “It was a good weekend for me and I am happy to score a podium.”

    Raikkonen beat McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen to the final podium slot, after the pair had a hard fight in the middle part of the race.

    “The first aim was to keep Rosberg behind, the car was very good, I could do exactly the same lap time (every time),” Raikkonen added. “I saw that I was catching him a bit, I had a little bit of traffic, so it cost some time.

    “I put a few good laps when we came in and it was enough, the last stint was just to stay in third and the car was very nice to drive.”

  2. Even though Lewis Hamilton led the most laps at the European Grand Prix, that second pit stop wasn’t the main factor that cost the world champion the victory. Instead it was a lack of pace in the MP4-24 that resulted in finishing in second position came the end of the Grand Prix. Read on from Martin Whitmarsh’s point of view with this Autosport.com news story:

    McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh reckons his team did not have the pace to win the European Grand Prix, downplaying the significance of a problem during Lewis Hamilton’s second pitstop.

    Hamilton lost the lead of the race when he stopped for the second time, when one of his tyres was not ready in time. He returned to the track in second place behind Rubens Barrichello.

    But Whitmarsh believes that even without the problem, Hamilton will not have won the race.

    “I think it was clear that we weren’t as quick in the race as we should have been,” Whitmarsh told the BBC. “Rubens was running quite a bit longer than us and we had to open a bigger gap.

    “We tried and pushed so we could try and get an extra lap. That made our call late and we didn’t get the tyres out on time. It probably cost us two seconds but it didn’t effect the outcome of the race.

    “The fact is that we didn’t have the race pace to win. So we pushed it to the absolute limit, we’re not there to get second. We monitor the fuel flow and we were trying to get the extra lap.

    “In doing so it cost us a couple of seconds, had we come in without the delay it wouldn’t have made any difference to the outcome. The fact is we weren’t quick enough in race pace.”

    He added: “Lewis was meant to come in on lap 37, we were trying to extend him to 38 which meant swapping the drivers over in the pit order. At the time we had Heikki racing Kimi and Lewis racing Barrichello.

    “We decided at the last minute that the best hope of winning this grand prix was to allow an extension, which meant an early stop for Heikki. And that changeover… the guys were waiting for the stop but they didn’t know whether it was going to be Lewis or Heikki.

    “To have a car arrive and not have the tyres there is an operational error. But it was a consequence of us pushing hard for the extra lap. Had the tyres been ready it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. We lost maybe a couple of seconds, but by the time we came out we were six, seven seconds behind. We were pushing hard that made an error in the system.

    “We have got to have a car that is quicker in the race and then strategy is easy.”

    Hamilton was philosophical about the incident and stayed upbeat about McLaren’s form.

    “I led most of the race, which is good. These things happen you know,” Hamilton said. “Some you win, some you lose. We did the best job we could. This is a huge improvement though. We don’t have the best car just yet. I believe we can catch up and it’s great to be at least challenging for wins.

    “In terms of the procedure with the guys they never make mistakes in pitstops. They are the best and that’s where we win races. It’s just that I was saving fuel as well as trying to bridge the gap. It was unsure whether I had enough for that extra lap or not.

    “They’d asked me to come in that lap, I was just coming in, at the white line, then they realised I had enough for an extra lap and they did tell me to do another lap, but it was too late. I was committed to the pitlane. So while that happen they anticipated me coming in on the next lap.”

  3. Ross Brawn has branded Rubens Barrichello’s victorious performance in the European Grand Prix as ‘probably one of his best drives’.

    The 37-year-old Brazilian passed both McLarens in consecutive pitstops to deliver a combative tenth career win and move to 18 points behind world championship leader and Brawn team-mate Jenson Button.

    “It’s just a sensational performance,” Brawn told the BBC. “We have had these races where Rubens was very good in qualifying and it hasn’t quite come together in the race, but today he was perfect.

    “He pushed exactly where he needed to, and kept the gaps exactly what he wanted.

    “And then when we got on the radio and said we had to push, then the little red lights came up. So it was just a fantastic performance.”

    Brawn admitted however that he had been frustrated for Button, who finished seventh having been caught in traffic for much of the race, and added that perhaps the Briton had raced with the wrong strategy.

    “In retrospect we should have been more aggressive in the strategy to put our guys at the front because he got bogged down in traffic and had a quick car he couldn’t do anything with,” he said. “It worked for Rubens and didn’t work for Jenson.”

    World championship leader Jenson Button says his Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello deserved to win the European Grand Prix at Valencia, and that the Brazilian had done a better job that he had with the car available.

    “Rubens did a great job this weekend and he deserves the victory,” Button told the BBC. “It’s been a long time for him, five years. I’m happy for him.

    “Sure I would rather be on top of the podium, I’m not, he did the better job this weekend. He didn’t make a mistake.”

    Button, who finished seventh in the race, added that he was disappointed not to have done better but was pleased to have come away from the weekend with an 18-point lead.

    “We did what we came to in a way,” he said. “We came to beat the Red Bulls and claw back a couple of points on a circuit that our car suits.

    “But I didn’t expect my team-mate to finish so far in front of me. So that is something I have got to solve in the next race.

    “It’s been a tough weekend for Red Bull, but we are going to circuit where they will be very quick,” he added. “I’ve gained a couple of points on Mark which is good, I’ve lost a lot of points to my team-mate Rubens.”

    “Still a big gap, it’s not too bad. It seems that people behind are jockeying for position behind and sooner-or-later they are going to start closing if I don’t do something about it.”

    Button said he was looking forward to Spa next weekend, despite the traditionally unpredictable weather raising questions over Brawn’s ability to extract performance from its tyres in cold conditions.

    “So we have to go to Spa positive and ready to have a good weekend,” he said. “We have got to do a lot of work to do to make the car work in the cold conditions, I think we know what we are doing, and if we qualify well, we can have a good race.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  4. Even though Luca Badoer finished in a lowly 17th position in Sunday’s European Grand Prix. Ferrari have decided not to replace the Italian in the following race at Spa, despite the media and fans outcry in getting another driver in the F60. Read this Autosport.com story for more information:

    Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has indicated that Luca Badoer is likely to keep his seat in the team for next weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, despite finishing last in Valencia on Sunday.

    The Italian Ferrari test driver, who struggled for pace throughout the European Grand Prix weekend after 10 years out of racing at the highest level, was classified 17th a lap down.

    But the 38-year-old did achieve his goal of finishing the race, which he had branded a test, and recorded a best lap of 1m40.590s – 1.907s slower than Timo Glock’s fastest lap.

    Domenicali said that despite Badoer’s performance in Spain, he believed that the 1992 International F3000 champion could achieve much better, given time.

    “First of all it was important for him to finish,” Domenicali told the BBC. “It was difficult you know… We need to stay cool and calm and we know that it was important for Luca to finish. I respect that.

    “I’m sure that we have seen a Luca that has not really shown up, but he has real potential. Apart from the fact he was racing for the first time in a long time, also from a psychological point of view the pressure on him was very high, even if we didn’t create it.

    “We will speak together. I think we will discuss it tonight but I think it is important to keep up Luca because he is a real team player and this is important in Ferrari.”

    Asked whether he believed Badoer would be in the car again for Spa, Domenicali replied: “Yes, I think so.”

    Badoer described himself happy with a performance that included two spins and drive-through penalty after he appeared to drive over the pit exit line to allow Romain Grosjean through for position.

    “I’m very happy because we have arrived at a point that we fixed when we decided I would take Felipe’s place,” he said afterwards. “So this is the first step. I drove, drove, drove, drove, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I did actually a big start and at the third corner I was 14th, and then a Renault kicked my ass.

    “So I lost the position from that. Otherwise it was possible to have a completely different race.

    “For me it was important to finish the race and get a good feeling with the car.”

  5. Well that is a result for ingenuity against big spending. hopefully we won’t be see anymore of this McLaren free spending effecting the races.

    Incidentally do you not think that the BBCs commentary team isn’t really a commentary team but more of a McLaren appreciation society. It’s almost like they are reading from a McLaren prepare script at times.

  6. I think the BBC team are doing a good job this season. Sure, the focus is on the British drivers/teams but we get to hear different viewpoints from the other members in the paddock. In particular the Brawn and the Red Bull Racing team. Speaking of Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel is refusing to giving up the title fight despite two non-finishes. Read on for the full story, taken from Autosport.com.

    Sebastian Vettel has vowed to fight until the last breath for the 2009 world championship, despite suffering his second mechanical failure in as many races at the European Grand Prix.

    The German’s retirement – as a result of his second engine failure of the weekend – was a massive blow for the winner of two grands prix this season. He is now 25 points behind Jenson Button in the title race with six rounds to go.

    “It’s not good,” he said. “In terms of the championship, I will fight until the last breath, but it’s not good to have retired when you’re hunting and want to get more points than your opponent.

    “You’re in a position to do it, but then you don’t finish the race.”

    Vettel wasn’t in a position to take points on Sunday in Valencia after a fuel rig problem rendered him 16th following a required second stop.

    “The biggest problem today was the first stop – we weren’t able to get fuel in the car, so we had to come in again. We were lucky to make it back for a second stop.

    “The race was lost already at that point but then, a couple of laps on, I had a problem with the engine and I had to retire.”

    Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted that the failure had been expensive but that while it made Vettel’s title hopes more difficult to achieve, he was still in the fight.

    “We need to look into and understand that, but it is an expensive failure,” Horner told the BBC.

    “He’s always in it [the championship] until mathematically it’s impossible to win. It’s increasingly difficult, especially with a handicap of only two engines left between now and the end of the year. It puts us under quite a bit of pressure.”

  7. Jenson Button said he was still taking away the positives of seeing his world championship advantage over his Red Bull Racing rivals increase at the European Grand Prix, despite a disappointing result.

    The Brawn GP driver could manage no better than seventh after a difficult afternoon that saw team-mate Rubens Barrichello end a five-year victory drought.

    But despite only taking two points, Button was able to increase his advantage over rivals Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel as neither Red Bull driver finished in the points.

    Reflecting on the weekend, Button said: “Yeah, it is very unusual for your team-mate to take eight points out of you in one race. Rubens did a fantastic job this weekend.

    “He has been very quick all weekend and I have struggled to be on his pace. But in qualifying I screwed up, which cost me time. I double shifted out of Turn 5, and hopefully we can rectify that problem as I did it in the race as well.

    “Starting fifth I thought we could have a good race, but Vettel came across at the start and if I had stayed flat I would have ripped my front wing off. So, being back in the pack – although I know fifth is not back in the pack – but it is a bit crazy.

    “In a way, I got two points and I was lucky to get those points. I was down in ninth at one point, behind Webber, and with Sebastian up in fifth.

    “In the end neither of them got points and I got two points, so it is a positive day. But it is also a day where our car was strong and, as my team-mate proved, there were a lot more points on offer and it just didn’t go my way. ”

    Button reckons that if he had not lifted when Vettel squeezed him on the run to Turn 1 then the pair would have collided.

    “The most important thing for Vettel is to beat me, and he came across and I had to lift,” he explained. “It is always a difficult one, because if I didn’t lift then I would have probably broken my front wing and damaged my tyre probably, or his sidepod, but I had to lift.

    “The problem is as soon as you lift there, everyone is just building speed and you are not, and there is a massive difference in speed. That is why I dropped so much ground there.

    “I thought I had picked up a couple of places at Turn 2, but Alonso went wide and came back across on me, and I had to lift. Then Webber at Turn 4, I thought it was a bit harsh that I had to let Webber past because I went across the chicane as I couldn’t get around the corner as he went all the way to the edge of the circuit sideways and I could not get around, so I had to go straight.

    “It was a bit harsh, and that is what cost me quite a few points as I could not challenge the people who were stopping earlier in front of me.”

    Button thinks that race control should have consulted him about the chicane-cutting incident before telling him to relinquish position: “The thing is they didn’t speak to me about it, and that is the thing.

    “You have to get both views as well. It is down to the stewards, but you need both drivers’ views and no-one asked me the question.”

    Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali has left the door open to replace Luca Badoer after the Belgian Grand Prix if the Italian does not manage to raise his game.

    Badoer, standing in for the injured Felipe Massa, struggled at the back of the field at the European Grand Prix this weekend.

    The Ferrari test driver, who had not raced since 1999, qualified and finished last in the Valencia race, although he had made it clear the event was just a test for him and is hoping to do better at Spa.

    Although there were suggestions this weekend that Badoer would keep the seat until Massa is back, Domenicali suggested things could change after the next race.

    “What I said exactly, to be precise, is that for us the first priority is to understand when Felipe Massa will come back,” Domenicali told reporters after the race.

    “For sure it is an important race for Luca Badoer next weekend. We are expecting a big jump from him and then we will see.”

    The Italian team boss admitted Ferrari cannot afford to have a car finishing at the bottom of the field, especially with the Maranello-based squad now in a close fight for third place with McLaren.

    He did praise Badoer’s fitness, however, after the Italian finished the race without problems.

    “As I have said before, Ferrari cannot be satisfied with a car in last position,” he said. “That is pretty clear, but we need to consider all the circumstances and everything that has happened. I think if you look behind it, for sure it was a difficult weekend for him.

    “In terms of race pace, if you look to compare to the other young drivers, you can make your opinion.

    “He did a great start and then he was touched from behind so he lost a place, and then in terms of rhythm – everyone was worried this morning about his health, worried about that it was not possible for him to get to the finish and that he would have to go to the hospital. But he was very good.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  8. Injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has thanked compatriot Rubens Barrichello for his support since his accident and for the Brawn driver’s victory dedication to him following the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

    Barrichello carried the message ‘Felipe – see you on track soon’ on the back of his crash helmet and pointed to the slogan when he climbed from his car after scoring his tenth career victory in Valencia on Sunday.

    Massa, watching the race from his home in Sao Paulo, said that he had called to congratulate and thank Barrichello after the race.

    “My first attempt failed because he was debriefing with his Brawn GP people,” he said. “But later I could manage to talk to him and congratulated him for his fantastic victory.

    “Of course, I also thanked him for everything he’s done and said about me during the whole weekend. In fact, I felt very emotional when I saw his helmet with a design intended to homage me.”

    Massa, who contributed to Brazilian television channel TV Globo’s coverage of the event via SMS text, added: “I followed the race also by my laptop, taking a close look at the live timing.

    “The last time a saw a Formula 1 race on TV was the Japanese GP back in 2003. It was the race that closed the calendar and I did not travel do Japan because I was Ferrari test driver at that time.”

    “I was with my fingers crossed all the time, expecting a victory that could keep the Brazilian domination in Valencia. Don’t forget that I won the race in 2008, after starting on pole and setting the best lap.

    “Rubens did a fantastic job today. I was checking his lap times and I’m sure he could win even without Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren [pitstop] problem. He was amazingly quick in his second stint and did not commit any mistakes.”

    Massa also confirmed that he will travel to the US on Friday to see the former CART medical director Dr Steve Olvey, who is currently serving as a director of the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, as he continues his rehabilitation from the head injuries sustained in his Hungarian GP qualifying crash.

    “I will take my TCs with me and probably undergo further exams at the hospital in Miami,” he said.

    An overjoyed Rubens Barrichello always knew he would end his Formula 1 victory drought this season – despite seeing team-mate Jenson Button seize the initiative with six wins earlier in the campaign.

    Barrichello took his first triumph since China 2004 in last weekend’s European Grand Prix to reignite his world championship campaign – and prove his vast experience is no hindrance to his speed.

    And although there were times earlier this season when his annoyance at missing out on wins manifested itself in outbursts against the team – most notably in Spain and Germany – he has said he was sure that success would eventually come.

    “It is just sweet,” Barrichello told AUTOSPORT as he reflected on his victory. “First of all I need to say that although I wasn’t winning at first when Jenson was winning, it was such a nice shock in such a nice way to drive a quick car, that it was good.

    “I was out of a seat in F1, then suddenly I was driving and it was a good car, so I had to be delighted with that. Now, in the paddock, people just love this win.

    “I am a guy who doesn’t think on the frustrations, and doesn’t work on the negative. I work on the positives, and the fact that Jenson was wining was only telling me that I was going to be able to do it.

    “And for me that has come in difficult circumstances. We didn’t do very well in the last three races and then I win a race that was tough for everyone – so I am just delighted.

    “I have always thought positive. I’m a hard worker, and I love being able to win a race like this – and hopefully I can win the next six.”

    Button heaped the praise on Barrichello for delivering Brawn GP its seventh win of the season – and cheekily hoped that the triumph would result in the Brazilian celebrate in style and not being in best shape for Belgium next weekend.

    “It’s been five years for him and he deserves it,” said Button. “He knows I mean it when I say well done to him and great job this weekend.

    “We’ve been together for four years now as team-mates and I am sure he found it very difficult at the start of the season, but now he has got his first win for this team. It is a big step for him.

    “Hopefully the next few days will be big for him and he will not be on form next weekend! We will see.”

    And Button admitted that Barrichello was now just as much a threat for the world championship as Red Bull Racing duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

    “He is a tough opponent and you need that in a team. Red Bull are the same, they have Vettel and Webber, who are fighting each other.

    “I never thought it was going to be easy with Rubens. He is very competitive and for me it is a question of getting the best out of the car. I didn’t get the most out of it here.”

    Source: Autosport.com

  9. What a great win for Rubins. So pleased for him and what an emotional radio conversation after he crossed the line. It’s taken him so long and so much hard work and perseverance has gone into his years away from Ferrari.

    He may well wear his heart on his shoulder, but if you dont then you have a driver like Kimi or Shuey, and thats just frankly boring. He gave a nice smile when mentioning about his out burst a few weeks ago, which was quite funny. Hopefully now he’ll settle down and keep his seat for next year.

    Other than that, and Mclarens balls-up ( sure Janus was laughing his ass off over that one ), it was a pretty dull race….again. And now we have the race for another 5 years thanks to a new contract that has been signed. Oh well as long as Spa always follows it the very next weekend, I can live with it.

    So button despite a poor finish still extends his lead and Vettel is pretty much out of it. Unless he wins and button doesn’t, those two engines will never make it and i reckon he’ll have at least one penalty for running out of engines. Either that or they have to used old engines, but seeing as he cannot go for long on a brand new one, I doubt they’ll go down that route. As Eddie J said on the forum after the main show, Seb has yet to prove himself to me. I really like him as he is such a nice bloke and a great driver. BUT, I’ve yet to see him go toe to toe really get stuck in. Then again, there hasn’t been much toe to toe racing all year! I think he’ll be a real contender sometime soon, but he needs to do more than win from pole or take advantage of the weather.

    In note to Janus and his BBC bias to Mclaren. Well, I know you hate them mate but really, come on, before when the cars were complete dogs, they hardly mentioned them and just laughed really. Eddies comments were nigh on blasphemes! Then when they are starting to look better, sure they talk about them, but there are a British team, and like it or not, ANY TV company is going to big-up a local team for gods sake. Have a go at watching Italian coverage. You think for one second they were hitting on Ferrari when they sucked?

    Its the same in ANY sport! Tim Henman?! Andy Murrey? England cricket team? All boasted to the hilt despite some atrocious results. Besides, it could be worse, we could still be with ITV!

    Anyways, on to Spa and I for one cannot wait, This is THE circuit I would like to go to ( apart from Donington which is only a few minutes away from my house ). Hopefully Toyota ( where I work ) will have some sort of offer when the time comes.
    Its such a fantastic track, for both drivers and spectators. It’s had some amazing races and is always great to watch, so roll on Friday when the action begins!

    great write as usual Elton.

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