Ferrari

RUBENS Barrichello has opened up about his relationship with Michael Schumacher – nine years after the F1 legend’s tragic accident.The Brazilian driver, 51, admitted that his former teammate “was better than me, no doubt”, but “never supportive”.
Rubens Barrichello (left) opened up about his relationship with Michael SchumacherCredit: EPA
Barichello admitted that Schumacher was a better driver than himCredit: AP
Barrichello became a fundamental part of a Ferrari dream team that dominated Formula 1 in the early 2000s.
“The car was super, the team worked well, it was a good relationship between everyone and there was harmony in terms of performance. We were able to go and conquer the world,” he told Formula1.com .
But while Schumacher conquered five successive world titles between 2000 and 2004, “Rubinho” was dutifully left to play second fiddle on several occasions.
“I always say he was better than me, no doubt,” he admitted.
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“But because he was already there from ’96, he had four years [in the team], he had gone through the injury, and obviously Jean Todt considered him like a son, so it was tough for someone new to come in and say ‘ok give me the freedom'”.
The driver remembers telling the Scuderia he would not sign the contract if he had to “let Michael go ahead”.
“I didn’t want to sign,” he said.
“My contract said nothing about that.
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“For my benefit I accepted so many things, there were many things I did not accept, but some I did because I saw I was growing there.
“For six years I saw I was going forward and my time was coming.”
Although Barrichello says he had a good relationship with the German ace, he felt Schumacher only raced for himself and was never a “supportive” teammate.
“I always made friends and I’ve always had a good relationship with all my teammates,” Barrichello told the Beyond the Grid podcast.
Asked if he included Schumacher on that list, he said: “I do.
“But he was never supportive.
“He was never there to offer help so I never asked.
“Michael was different, he was a bit naive in the way that he worked.
“So many times we’d finish a meeting and then they’d start another one with just Michael there so I’d took my chair and would just sit there.
“Eventually I felt that the team was his.”
During his time at Williams Racing, Barrichello once screamed that Schumacher “tried to kill him” and nearly “sending him to heaven” in a 200 mph horror move during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Head-to-head and competing for a single point, Schumacher almost pushed his counterpart into the barrier.
“I am lucky to be alive. It was a go-kart manoeuvre,” Barrichello said in a furious response.
“If he wants to go to heaven, in the event he is going to heaven, I don’t want to go before him.
“Thank God, I was lucky the wall finished where it did because I was millimetres from it.”
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In 2013, three years after the dangerous Hungarian GP battle, Schumacher suffered a brain injury in a skiing accident and was put in a coma for six months.
Now, he resides in his Switzerland home away from the world as he continues to recover.
The Brazilian, however, said that the German legend wasn’t a supportive teammateCredit: AFP
The two were teammates at Scuderia Ferrari in the early 2000sCredit: EPA More

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S former Ferrari team-mate now develops family housing in Northern Ireland.Eddie Irvine partnered the legendary Formula One driver at Ferrari for four seasons from 1996 to 1999.
Eddie Irvine partnered Michael Schumacher at Ferrari for four seasonsCredit: AFP
Eddie Irvine now develops family housing in his native Northern IrelandCredit: Getty
During that time, Irvine also achieved his best Drivers’ Championship finish of second place behind Mika Hakkinen in 1999.
The Northern Irishman also drove for Jordan and Jaguar during a nine-year F1 career, claiming four wins from his 145 race starts.
He has gone on to swap the race track for building houses, though, in the two decades since his retirement in 2002.
Irvine has since forged a successful career in property in both Miami, Florida and his native Northern Ireland.

The 57-year-old first entered the property market by investing during his motorsport career.
He benefited from a market boom after buying houses in Northern Ireland during the 1990s.
Three decades on from his F1 debut, he now develops mid-market family housing in Northern Ireland, describing it as “a good, solid steady business” in 2018.
Irvine told Property Week: “Northern Ireland is still cheap. The recession has lasted a long time there. It’s starting to pick up now – we are finally increasing our prices.”
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Meanwhile, he has focussed on the luxury housing market in Miami and has been equally successful.
The retired driver puts his success in Florida down to the demand for high-end homes and rapid house pricing.
“What’s happened there has been incredible,” he added. “But then Miami is incredible.
“The houses I build in Miami, I build them as if I would live in them.”
Eddie Irvine finished second in the 1999 Formula One Drivers’ ChampionshipCredit: AP:Associated Press More

FORMULA ONE are in negotiations with TV executives about producing a drama series called “One”.The plot is about a family-owned team competing against the bigger teams, coping with financial constraints and strong egos.
Drive to Survive has been a huge success for Formula One
It comes off the back of Netflix’s hit show, Drive to Survive, and a Hollywood movie that’s in production featuring Brad Pitt.

IT was somewhat fitting that Ferrari’s current F1 driver, Charles Leclerc, witnessed the Italian team winning the Le Mans 24 hour race last Sunday.
Not only Leclerc but current boss of the F1 team Fred Vasseur was at the Circuit de la Sarthe along with – and somewhat more importantly – Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
For it will hammer home the message to Maranello that they have been under-perfoming for YEARS in F1.
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Ferrari won Le Mans for the first time in 65 years on SundayCredit: Rex
Charles Leclerc was in attendance for Ferrari’s triumph at Le MansCredit: Getty
Understandably, Elkann toasted their success in the 24 hour race as Brit James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and Antonio Giovinazzi won the premier series for Ferrari. Their first Le Mans win since 1965.
It was an impressive achievement given that it was Ferrari’s debut in the hypercar class, beating the vastly-experienced Toyota team.
Plus the car was only unveiled in October. And at a fraction of the cost of their F1 operation.
If he wasn’t already, Elkann must now be wondering what has been going wrong with his F1 team to be so remarkably consistent at failing to deliver success.
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Somewhat incredibly for their resources and experience, it is nearly 12 months since Ferrari last won an F1 race.
Leclerc’s victory in the Austrian GP on July 10th was the last time a Ferrari driver won an F1 race.
And do I need to mention it is 15 years since their last F1 constructors’ championship title?
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In recent years, Elkann has seen the team recruit two good drivers in Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
He’s replaced Mattia Binotto with Vasseur but still the Italian team look as fragile, indecisive and inept as ever.
If ever there was a time for the Scuderia to step up, now is the time, for while their success at Le Mans was all very good, it has also served to highlight their F1 failings.
A victory in Canada would be a welcome boost to Ferrari. And also F1, but the reality is, we are braced for a Max Verstappen victory in what would be Red Bull Racing’s 100th victory in 355 F1 starts.
To put that figure into context, since Red Bull achieved their first F1 win at the 2009 Chinese GP, Ferrari have won just 33 times, which is simply not good enough.

RED BULL’s Christian Horner was at 10 Downing Street last week to speak about diversity and inclusion and F1’s role in economic growth.
The UK is home to seven of the 10 F1 teams.

IF there were any lingering doubts about Francesco Bagnaia’s credentials as a MotoGP champion, then surely they were banished on Sunday with his commanding performance in the Italian GP.
The Ducati rider won both the Sprint and the MotoGP race to open up a 21-point advantage at the top of the championship. He’s now had three poles and three wins in this year’s six races.

F1 chiefs have announced a £30 million investment package to boost the sport’s appeal across the world in the form of their “arcade” hospitality venues.
The series opened their first F1 Arcade in London last year, which can be hired for guests to try F1 simulators while enjoying high-end food and drink.
F1 wants to roll-out the concept to 30 locations by the end of 2027, with discussions on-going with franchise partners around the world, including the UK, USA, Europe, the Middle East and Australia, amongst other territories.
The first US site in Boston is scheduled to open in 2024. 

TROUBLED FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has enlisted the help of South African motorsport journalist, Dieter Rencken to act as ‘motorsport adviser’.
While the move is yet to be confirmed by F1’s governing body, it has raised eyebrows in the paddock.

ANOTHER radio meltdown for British Formula E racer Dan Ticktum has come to light after he ran out of battery power in the Jakarta e-Prix and finished 11th.
He fumed: “No other driver on this grid can do that, I tell you that now! F******let down by it! Boring! F*** sake…Don’t talk to me, nobody talk to me, I don’t f******* want to hear it! Leave me alone!”Roberto, have my taxi ready within fifteen minutes. I’m getting out of here.”
Sadly Ticktum’s temper resulted in his F1 hopes being cut short. I now wonder how much more his NIO Formula E team will put up with it.

SINGAPORE GP bosses say they are making their F1 race greener – which is good news.
The original F1 night race is run under power-hungry spotlights that will now be powered by 1,396 solar panels.
The GP chiefs are also installing new led-lights with the old versions being “given new life through recycled art”.
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McLAREN have released details of an impressive list of cars they will be taking to the Goodwood Festival Of Speed next month.
Fans will get the chance to see Mika Häkkinen drive his 1999 championship-winning MP4/14A, Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title-winning MP4/23A-05 and Emerson Fittipaldi drive his 1974 M23-05, amongst others. More

EX-FORMULA 1 star Antonio Giovinazzi has led Ferrari to their first Le Mans 24 Hours victory in 58 YEARS.The Italian racing team had not won the iconic French event since 1965.
Ferrari clinched victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on SundayCredit: Rex
It is Ferrari’s first Le Mans victory since 1965Credit: EPA
Antonio Giovinazzi, left, helped Ferrari to Le Mans gloryCredit: EPA
But with the help of former Alfa Romeo F1 driver Giovinazzi, 29, Ferrari triumphed on Sunday.
He was part of a three-man team which also included Britain’s James Calado and fellow Italian Alessandro Pier Guidi.
Le Mans consists of teams racing without any intervals for a full 24 hours.
The three drivers in each team take it in turns to drive their respective car around the track.
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The winner is the team that has covered the most distance at the end of the 24 hours.
Giovinazzi was on the F1 grid in 2017 and then for three more seasons between 2019 and 2021.
He drove for Sauber and Alfa Romeo, starting 62 races and claiming 21 points.
Britain’s Jenson Button, who won the Formula 1 world title in 2009, made his first appearance in Le Mans this year.
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But he could only manage 33rd place out of 62 teams with Hendricks Motorsports.
Outside of F1, Le Mans is seen as one of the major races to win to be considered one of the great drivers.
Fernando Alonso, who has returned to F1 in recent years, has won the day-long endurance event on two occasions.
The Indy 500 and Daytona Classic are other races in the same bracket.
And Button has claimed the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen need to quit F1 and compete in Le Mans before they can be considered the best in the world.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “There’s every possibility that Max [Verstappen] could go down as the greatest but I like the idea that you can’t be the best driver in the world if you haven’t stepped outside of F1.
“Fernando has done a phenomenal job. He left F1 and came and raced in Le Mans and Daytona, won both, then won Le Mans again.
“I don’t think his performance has dropped away in his forties.” More