Rubens Barrichello

Now here's a driver who polarises opinion. A really nice bloke or a bitter man who should have grown a pair at Ferrari instead of bitching about it after he left. The most experienced driver ever in F1 but now, perhaps, past his sell by date? A brilliant car sorter who helped Jenson Button realise his title ambitions at Brawn or someone who failed to take an opportunity when it came his way?

Rubens Barrichello:

314 GP starts
11 wins (No. 25 in the list of GP winners - ahead of Ronnie Petersen but behind Alan Jones)
14 poles
17 fastest laps

Everyone's favourite No.2? The best choice Williams could could have made to lead there team or would they be better off without him?

 

[Olivier]

Through and through Rubens didn't do bad at all, he ever lead one lap I think. I really hope to see him taking more risks going forward.

 

[teabagyokel]

I feel certain that Rubens wanted to run with low downforce, but his mechanics fitted high downforce without telling him and they were all "blah blah blah".

 

[Galahad]

At Indy you really don't want to be in the wall.

Perhaps he was wishing it had been him behind the wheel of a Williams in Catalunya. I know I was.

 

[soccerman17]

Rubens didn't take risks and Sato did, look who finished higher. I wish he would have been racier in the last 20 laps or so because thats when its time to start really going after it. Until then you just need to stay on the lead lap and get some good track positioin which he did pretty well.

Galahad I was wishing it was him behind the wheel at Monaco so we didn't have to put up with any of Maldonado's nonsense.

 

[Viscount]

Reading what Rubens said in the post-race press conference I think I may have been a bit harsh on him and teabagyokel was right about the team playing it safe with his car despite what he might have wanted.

http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/n...ers-top-rookie-press-conference/?v=2&s=1&i=24

 

[F1 Shift.net]

Got to quickly meet Rubens tonight at an Indycar event. Very nice guy and signed some F1 memorabilia for me.

 

[FB]

Is it me or does Rubens have a very large noggin'?

 

[ExtremeNinja]

If he was in my class at school I would have called him "Ideas" as his head looks like a lighbulb.

 

[gethinceri]

In my school we'd have called him "that Spanish kid with the big head."

 

[F1 Shift.net]

he's a member of the high forehead club

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Just like a lot of his career... a lonely and distant second behind James van der Beek... the king of forehead real estate...

 

[KekeTheKing]

The Pits

I'd say Rubens has been pretty solid. I haven't seen every race, but he's usually running around/just outside the top 10. He's clearly still adjusting though, and I'm sure improvements aren't far away.

But as I alluded to in the Massa thread, race wins for the smaller teams are very few and far between in the IRL. If Tony Kanaan cant find a way to win for KV, it'll be a tall order for Rubens to do so.

 

[The Pits]

Thanks KekeTheKing I don't get to see a lot of Indy so I kinda lost track.

The point I was trying to make was relating massa's potential to rubens performances.

Anyways, shouldn't stray off topic....

 

[KekeTheKing]

If anything, I'd say Massa would be in a worse off position if he ventured to the IRL. With the all new chassis-engine combos this year, the entire field has had some adjustments to make, which has probably benefited Rubens to a small degree. Felipe would not have this advantage a year on.

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Awww this piccie Rubens tweeted is adorable .
http://twitter.com/rubarrichello/status/222850752161398784/photo/1

 

[F1 Shift.net]

Rubens will be racing in Brazilian Stockcar for 2013. Rumors of him remaining in Indycar and even returning to F1 at Caterham did not come true obviously. Too bad, I was really hoping to see him back in the seat of an F1 car.

 

[downforce]

lol I'd love this to be true, doubt it though!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110287

 

[RasputinLives]

Rubens return would be funny. He did say anything Michael could do he could do too.

 

[Jos the Boss]

I hope they took Rubinho!

 

[teabagyokel]

RasputinLives - He often was able to drive exactly as Michael did in the final third of a race by following the movement of his rear wing precisely.