At the European Grand Prix in Valencia, veteran Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello, took the top step of the podium once again for the first time in five years. Rubens is the most experienced F1 driver of all time, in terms of number of starts, and used all his experience to conjure up his 10th career win – the first since winning last with Ferrari way back in 2004.
Rubens has always insisted that the fire to win still rages within him, and that he’s as motivated as he’s ever been during his career. He also claims that he’s driving better today than ever been before – remember, this is the man who ran Michael Schumacher as hard and close as any other teammate of Michael’s has ever done. Plus, Rubens has always maintained that a race winning driver simply doesn’t forget how to win – a point he well and truly proved at the European Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, so far this season, Rubens has had to remain content with simply having a competitive
car under him, while he’s watched his teammate and championship leader, Jenson Button, take six wins out of eleven races. Button has, quite simply, put in some stunning performances in 2009, while Rubens has been thwarted by bad luck and even questionable strategy at times.
It all came good at Valencia however. Rubens qualified behind a pair of McLarens that finally seem to have found their form this season. The catch, however, was that he was running heavier than them in terms of fuel load, and that gave him the edge on strategy. Nonetheless, it also meant that he’d have to put in blisteringly quick lap-times prior to each of his pit stops in order to leapfrog the McLarens – something he did with consummate ease every time his team gave him the word.
It seemed as though an uncharacteristic mix up by the McLaren team during the second pit stop of pole sitter, Lewis Hamilton, may have cost him the lead, and handed the win to Barrichello. But McLaren team boss, Martin Whitmarsh, believed that the pace of the McLaren just wasn’t good enough to hold off the Brawn GP car up to the flag. All said and done, it would have made for a much more exciting race finish if Hamilton hadn’t had a problem in the pits. Following the race, at the press conference, it was very gracious for Lewis not to point the finger at his team, and to comment that, at McLaren, they win and lose together – bear in mind, of course, that he’s not fighting for the world championship, so a mistake doesn’t exactly spell doom. The fact still remains, however, that, after a victory in the last race at Hungary, Lewis would have been looking to make it two on the trot – especially satisfying I’d imagine during a season that hasn’t given McLaren much to celebrate about thus far.
Hamilton may have been gracious in defeat, but so was Rubens – gracious in victory in this case. The first thing the Brazilian did, as he stepped out of his race-winning
car, was to point at his helmet, which had the words, ‘Felipe – see you on track soon,’ inscribed on it. Rubens dedicated this win to his recuperating compatriot, Felipe Massa, after his near-fatal accident at Hungary. It was a nice touch, and undoubtedly much appreciated by Massa who won the race at Valencia in 2008, and even gave Rubens tips on how to tackle certain sections of the track.
There were contrasting fortunes for two of the oldest drivers in the paddock at Valencia. Rubens, at 37, may have exemplified the adage, ‘old is gold.’ But Ferrari test driver and Massa stand-in, Luca Badoer, at 38 years of age, did his best to derail that theory. It may have been his first race in a decade, but his performance was questionable to say the least – four pit-lane speeding offences, a spin, a drive-through penalty, and to top it all, a low speed crash in parc ferme after the race. Not exactly what Ferrari fans had in mind when they envisioned a historic comeback in Spain by Michael Schumacher – an attempted return to the cockpit that was thwarted at the last minute as he was declared unfit following a neck injury caused by a motorcycle accident earlier in the year. By the time you read this, Badoer will either have fared considerably better at Spa, which will have confirmed his position till Massa returns, or, more likely, Ferrari will once again be looking to temporarily fill his seat until the Brazilian is declared fit to race once again – something he’s aiming to do before years’ end.
As we approach the end of the season, Button will have to raise his game once again. The Brawns are looking pretty good for the run up to the final few races, and he simply needs to be consistent to maintain his lead, which now stands at 18 point to his teammate, Barrichello. McLaren should be in good shape as well towards the end of the season – especially at upcoming tracks such as Monza where they should be able to capitalize on their KERS advantage.
Now that McLaren have a handle on the MP4-24, and Ferrari are in the throes of developing next years’
car, expect both teams to be back on top next year. The question remains, will Alonso be wearing red in 2010? It certainly appears so. In which case, what happens to Raikkonen – not to mention the two BMW drivers, Heidfeld and Kubica? And will Schumacher attempt another comeback? As always, the world of Formula 1 is full of intrigue.
