Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello is a Brazilian race car driver who previously performed in Formula 1. Ranked second in 2002 and 2004. He is the champion of the 2014 Stoke Car Brazil series.
Carier start
Rubens Barrichello has been karting since childhood. By the age of seventeen, the young rider had five victories in the Brazilian championship. In 1989, in the Formula Ford 1600, the young man finished fourth, and in 1990 he moved to Europe, where he won the Formula Opel series race. After that, the career of the Brazilian went uphill.
The future pilot of Formula 1 participated in a number of races, increasing his skills. It paid off. Rubens was invited to the British Formula 3, where he became the champion. The next season, Barrichello spent in the Baron Rampante team, participating in the Formula 3000 championship. At the end of the year he took third place in the rating.
Jordan (1993-1996)
In 1993, a talented young rider noticed Eddie Jordan. He decided that Rubens was ready to participate in Formula 1. The contract was signed when Barrichello was not yet 21 years old. At that time, the Jordan team was in crisis, and the team was constantly updated. Rubens was very close to his first podium at the European Grand Prix, but 6 laps before the finish he ran out of fuel. After many years, Barrichello admits that the gathering was the biggest failure of his career, as it was the only chance to get on the podium with his idol, Ayrton Senna.
Formula 1 races became more and more popular and attracted new fans who were actively rooting for the Brazilian racer. But, despite the support of the fans, Rubens was not very successful. In the third race of the 1994 season, he had a severe accident at a Friday training session. His car at a speed of 225 km / h touched the curb when cornering and flew into the air. The car broke through the top of the tire barrier and rolled over several times after a fall, stopping upside down with wheels. Unconscious Barrichello was immediately sent to the hospital. A strip of failures haunted Rubens throughout the entire period of cooperation with this team.
Stuart (1997-1999)
In 1997, Barrichello joined the team owned by a former Formula 1 driver - Jackie Stewart three times became world champion. In the Stuart fireballs, Cosworth and Ford engines were used. They were fast, but very unreliable. For this reason, the seasons of 1997-1998 were a failure for Barrichello.
1999 was a successful year. The modified Stuart SF-3 car did not lag behind the leaders. At the end of the season, Rubens took seventh place, having visited the podium three times and scored 21 points.
Ferrari (2000-2005)
In 2000, Barrichello was offered to join the Ferrari. Partner racing team became the legendary Michael Schumacher.
The team “Ferrari” actively used team tactics, when the rider, not applying for the title, should help the pilot, fighting for the championship title. And so many times Rubens missed Michael forward to gain the right amount of points. This tactic has been criticized in the media, which stated that the true champions of Formula 1 do not resort to such tricks. The scandal ended with amendments to the rules, and since 2003 it was no longer possible to give pilots such orders. Since that time, the team’s results have declined. At the end of the year, Rubens became the fourth. The year 2004 became more successful for the Brazilian. He brought the rider the title of vice champion. In 2005, Ferrari was no longer in a leading position. The last year in the composition of this team Barrichello finished in eighth place.
Honda (2006-2008)
In 2006, Rubens signed a contract with Honda, becoming the new partner of Jenson Button. The season for Barrichello began unsuccessfully, as he could not get used to the new car. In the first 4 races, the driver hardly scored two points. However, by the end of the championship, they scored points regularly. Nevertheless, Rubens finished the season already in seventh place, twice losing to Button in terms of points. Barrichello's best achievement was fourth in Hungary and Monaco.
The 2007 season became “black” in the career of the Brazilian. He did not score a single point and took only the 20th place in the ranking of pilots. For 15 years of Barrichello's career, this was the first such case. In part, this failure is explained by the latest modification of the Honda RA107. Winter tests confirmed that the car is "raw" and unfinished.
Brown JP (2009)
It was assumed that in 2008 the sports career of the Brazilian racer will be over. The contract with the Honda expired, and the team was in no hurry to conclude a new agreement. The situation for Barrichello became catastrophic after the statement of the head of the company about leaving Formula 1. Throughout the offseason, there was no clarity about the future pilot. However, in March, ex-Honda was headed by Ross Brown and Rubens was offered a one-year contract with a new team - Brown JP.
In the first Grand Prix of the season, Rubens with a partner took dominant positions. Barrichello led the way in qualifying, but in the final lost to Jenson Button. And the start by the Brazilian pilot was a failure. Only the clash of Kubica and Vettel allowed Barrichello to take second place.
During the season there were victories and defeats. As a result, Rubens took third place in the overall standings. In the offseason, the team was sold to Mercedes, and all the pilots were completely changed. Barrichello became interested in McLaren. But by then Rubens had already signed a contract with Williams.
Williams (2010-2011)
At the end of 2009, Williams made Nico Hulkenberg and Rubens Barrichello the main pilots of the team for the new season. According to its results, Rubens was significantly ahead of the young partner and signed a contract for the next year. Nico had to become a test pilot. The highlight of the season was the overtaking of Barichello Schumacher at the Hungarian Grand Prix. For the 2010-2011 season, Rubens set a record - he became the first pilot in history to participate in three hundred Grand Prix. He also scored 51 points, ahead of his mentor Ayrton Senna, and becoming the best Brazilian in this indicator. In 2012, Rubens Barrichello until the last moment claimed a place in the Williams team. As a result, he received Bruno Senna - the nephew of a mentor of the Brazilian, who offered a more profitable sponsorship contract.
IndieCar (2012)
Joining this team, Rubens apparently decided to follow in the footsteps of Nigel Mansell. At the same time, Barrichello did not hide from anyone that he was ready to return to Formula 1 races at any time if he received an appropriate offer. According to the results of 2012, the pilot took 12th place in the individual competition. The most successful performance was in the Indy 500 race. There Rubens finished 10th. However, he could not remain in the team, as he did not find good sponsors.
Stoke Car Brazil (2013-2014)
In 2013, Rubens Barrichello joined the Full Time Sports team, serving the Brazilian equivalent of Nascar. The first season was not very successful for the rider - 8th place in the overall standings. But 2014 brought the pilot a championship title.
Personal life and hobbies
Married to Sylvanas Jaffon. The couple has two children: Eduardo (2001) and Fernando (2005).
Rubens Barrichello has a reputation as a strong family man. He devotes all his free time to loved ones and children. His hobbies include golf, go-karting and tennis. Rubens also supports the Corinthians.