Last Updated on August 24 2025, 1:41 pm

Rubens Barrichello remains one of the most iconic names of modern Formula 1. As Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate during the team’s dominant early 2000s era, the Brazilian twice finished runner-up in the drivers’ standings (2002 and 2004) and later partnered Jenson Button during Brawn GP’s fairytale title-winning year in 2009. That season also delivered his 11th and final grand prix victory, at Monza – Ferrari’s home race.

His F1 career ended in 2011 when Williams opted to replace him with Bruno Senna, nephew of the legendary Ayrton. At the time he was the longest serving Formula One driver with 322 starts to his name. Whilst Rubens drive for six F1 teams in his fifteen years in the sport he will be remembered most for his role as wingman to Michael Schumacher during their time together at Ferrari.

There was never any doubt that Michael Schumacher was Ferrari’s number one, but Rubens Barrichello still carved out opportunities to win – even if some were hand-me-downs once Schumacher had sealed the title early. His first Ferrari win in 2000 was pure inspiration mixed with fortune. Starting a miserable 18th at Hockenheim, Barrichello was thrown onto a bold two-stop strategy in the hope of slicing through the field.

 

 

 

Tears at maiden F1 victory

The race turned on its head when a disgruntled ex-Mercedes employee invaded the track, forcing the safety car and gifting Barrichello a pit stop without losing ground. Then came the masterstroke: in the closing laps, as rain fell, he gambled on staying out on slicks. Against all odds, the Brazilian held on to take a famous first win, tears streaming down his visor as he crossed the line.

Barrichello ended that season fourth overall with 62 points, well adrift of Schumacher’s 108. In 2001, he climbed to third in the championship, but the gulf had only widened: Schumacher amassed 123 points to Barrichello’s 56. Austria became the flashpoint – Barrichello handing second to Schumacher on Jean Todt’s orders. Publicly furious, he vowed never to repeat it if leading a race. Yet in 2002, déjà vu: leading all weekend at the A1 Ring, Barrichello was told to move aside on the final lap. The obedient switch triggered a chorus of boos from the crowd and global outrage.

Ferrari sought to mend fences by ensuring Barrichello took a deserved victory at the Nürburgring, again ahead of Schumacher. Later, in Indianapolis, a bizarre contrivance saw Schumacher gift him a last-lap win – a hollow gesture that confused fans as much as the Austrian fiasco had enraged them. Schumacher wrapped up the title with 144 points, Barrichello again a distant second on 77.

In 2003, Barrichello earned his triumphs on merit. His Silverstone victory was sublime – even if, yet again, it came after a track invader (this time an Irish priest) caused chaos. Once the race resumed, Barrichello was untouchable, scything through rivals and producing a dazzling move on Kimi Räikkönen. He added another win at Suzuka, ironically clinching Schumacher’s sixth crown in the process.

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Barrichello backs up Button to F1 title

But any illusions of parity were shattered in 2004. Schumacher stormed to 12 wins from the first 13 races, cruising to a seventh title, while Barrichello picked up the crumbs – token victories once the championship was long decided.

By 2005, Ferrari’s dominance was punctured by new rules and rival improvements. The only chance of victory came in the farcical six-car U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis, where Schumacher prevailed. Tensions finally boiled over: at Monaco, Schumacher muscled past Barrichello on the last lap, a brusque reminder of the pecking order. It was clear the Brazilian had grown weary of life in the shadows.

He left for Honda in 2006, the team which the Japanese auto manufacturer famously sold to Ross Brawn for £1. Brawn GP inherited the completed Honda car for 2009 and set about winning a fairy tale year of competent, with Jenson Button crowned champion and Barrichello third in the order of merit.

The Brazilian wound down his F1 career driving for Williams, before hanging up his racing boots at the end of the 2011 season. Yet refusing to slow down much, Barrichello pursued opportunities in other categories. He joined IndyCar in 2012, made a one-off appearance at the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours, and remained a fixture in Brazil’s Stock Car Pro Series – winning that championship in 2022.

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Barrichello wins NASCAR Brazil

Now, at 53 years old, he has extended his résumé by conquering NASCAR Brazil.

Barrichello’s first season in the championship was a resounding success. He claimed two victories at Interlagos – the iconic home of the Brazilian Grand Prix – before adding another at Cascavel in Paraná last month. His latest triumph came at São Paulo’s Autódromo Velo Città, which sealed the championship with a 32-point advantage over rival Thiago Camilo.

“My heart is in my mouth and I’m very happy,” Barrichello said after clinching the crown.

The victory not only delivered him another major motorsport title but also secured his place at the prestigious NASCAR Awards banquet later this year, where he will be honoured alongside champions from NASCAR’s premier series in the United States.

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Near death experience

Barrichello’s success is made more remarkable given the health battles he has faced since leaving F1. In 2018, he was rushed to hospital after suffering an excruciating headache at home. Doctors discovered a benign tumour in his neck, which was later surgically removed.

He later recalled on Brazilian television how close the ordeal had come to ending in tragedy.

“I was at home having a shower and suddenly I felt a pain in my head. From zero to 10, it was an eight or nine headache. I lay on the floor but it was hurting so badly I had to wake my wife, Silvana, and we realised this was a hospital situation,” he said.

At the hospital, doctors found the vein had fortunately closed itself. “Only 14% of people get out of this situation like I did. Many endure serious after-effects or die,” Barrichello revealed.

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The comeback that never was

Despite his abrupt F1 exit, Barrichello was frequently linked with a comeback. In 2014, he hoped to contest the final three races with the now-defunct Caterham team, which would have given him one last home appearance at Interlagos. Ultimately, that plan fell through, with Will Stevens instead partnering Kamui Kobayashi at the Abu Dhabi finale.

Even so, Barrichello has never lost his passion for the sport. Appearing on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast last year, he quipped that he would jump at the chance to return. “If Fernando \[Alonso] came to me now and said, ‘I want you to be my teammate at Aston Martin,’ I’d still be ready!” he joked.

While that F1 return never materialised, Barrichello has once again proven that he remains as competitive as ever. From Ferrari wingman to Stock Car champion, and now king of NASCAR in Brazil, Rubens has shown that even after decades in motorsport, his hunger for victory is undimmed.

 

 

 

From how to WOW. Mekies talks of early weeks in Red Bull hot seat

It has been barely a month since Laurent Mekies stepped into the hot seat at Red Bull Racing, and already his job resembles that of a headmaster parachuted into a school of geniuses prone to food fights.

The Frenchman was unveiled as Christian Horner’s replacement just two days after the British Grand Prix, ending the reign of the only team principal Red Bull had ever known. For two decades, Horner had presided over Milton Keynes with a mixture of charm, political sharpness, and sheer stubbornness. Six Constructors’ titles, eight Drivers’ crowns, and countless skirmishes with rival bosses later, his tenure ended abruptly in the wake of corporate turmoil amid the absence of founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s steady hand.

In his place now stands Laurent Mekies, a man who has seen almost every side of Formula 1. He began at Arrows, served as race engineer at Minardi, became chief engineer at Toro Rosso, then jumped into the regulatory firepit at the FIA as safety director and deputy race director. From there, he joined Ferrari, serving as sporting director and later deputy team principal until 2023. Red Bull GmbH then signed him, and now the 47-year-old is tasked with keeping the empire from cracking under its own weight.