Rubens Barrichello
Discussion
If this weekends race at Interlagos really is the last grand prix for Rubens I thought it was the least we could do to have a thread about him.
One of the longest (is it THE longest?) careers in F1, seems like he's got so much more to give. Nice, I suppose, to have the last race in front of his home crowd (if weren't for the fact he always has terrible luck at this circuit).
OK it's not good for the sport to keep old guys on, stopping a young driver getting a chance, but that's not the case here. I reckon there's a number of drivers in much better cars than the Williams that he'd still do a better job than. I hope a half decent team agrees with me for next season.
Maybe I'm just too sentimental. What do you think?

One of the longest (is it THE longest?) careers in F1, seems like he's got so much more to give. Nice, I suppose, to have the last race in front of his home crowd (if weren't for the fact he always has terrible luck at this circuit).
OK it's not good for the sport to keep old guys on, stopping a young driver getting a chance, but that's not the case here. I reckon there's a number of drivers in much better cars than the Williams that he'd still do a better job than. I hope a half decent team agrees with me for next season.
Maybe I'm just too sentimental. What do you think?
Edited by RS404 on Friday 25th November 21:21
Did you see the helmet he's wearing this weekend?
http://f1orbit.com/2011-11-25/rubens-barrichello-h...
The guy's a trooper and if he retires the sport will be the worse without him.
http://f1orbit.com/2011-11-25/rubens-barrichello-h...
The guy's a trooper and if he retires the sport will be the worse without him.
I think he should stay.. Sadly there is a bit of a financing crisis for some of the teams and sadly decisions are being made to pick drivers that can supply to greatest funds, not necessarily the best driving.
Personally I think young drivers are coming into F1 too early and too young. There should be a longer 'apprenticeship' in lesser formulas before going to F1.
Personally I think young drivers are coming into F1 too early and too young. There should be a longer 'apprenticeship' in lesser formulas before going to F1.
Id like to see him next year. Although his Brazil helmet looks better than hamiltons perhaps there should be some sort of rule on how many replica senna helmets there can be in one race!?
P.s. remember the pictured win well. One of the more emotional wins I've watched that's for sure
P.s. remember the pictured win well. One of the more emotional wins I've watched that's for sure
Edited by thiscocks on Friday 25th November 21:37
nobody can be at the top forever... he has had a bloody good career.
Short of winning the world drivers title he has done everything.
He does not deserve to be there because he has been there for 19 seasons though.
Formula one should always have new drivers and talent around..
Is Rubens capable of getting a world championship again?
Perhaps...He demonstrated with Brawn he can still win.
But winning races sometimes is not enough.
Rubens should retire gracefully and not become a pay driver for a s
tty team imo.
He deserves better than that.
Short of winning the world drivers title he has done everything.
He does not deserve to be there because he has been there for 19 seasons though.
Formula one should always have new drivers and talent around..
Is Rubens capable of getting a world championship again?
Perhaps...He demonstrated with Brawn he can still win.
But winning races sometimes is not enough.
Rubens should retire gracefully and not become a pay driver for a s
tty team imo.He deserves better than that.
Streps said:
nobody can be at the top forever... he has had a bloody good career.
Short of winning the world drivers title he has done everything.
He does not deserve to be there because he has been there for 19 seasons though.
Formula one should always have new drivers and talent around..
Is Rubens capable of getting a world championship again?
Perhaps...He demonstrated with Brawn he can still win.
But winning races sometimes is not enough.
Rubens should retire gracefully and not become a pay driver for a s
tty team imo.
He deserves better than that.
Yeah he's won races but he's never been championship material in my opinion, in 19 seasons he's won fewer races than lewis Hamilton (17:11) has in 5 years, and you can't say it's the car: RB has had some brilliant cars over the years. Short of winning the world drivers title he has done everything.
He does not deserve to be there because he has been there for 19 seasons though.
Formula one should always have new drivers and talent around..
Is Rubens capable of getting a world championship again?
Perhaps...He demonstrated with Brawn he can still win.
But winning races sometimes is not enough.
Rubens should retire gracefully and not become a pay driver for a s
tty team imo.He deserves better than that.
I love the guy, I would love to see him on the grid for a few more years but there needs to be space for fresh talent.
ETA from my understanding of your post, you imply he has already won a WDC, which he hasn't.
Edited by Nick3point2 on Saturday 26th November 09:28
Nick3point2 said:
ETA from my understanding of your post, you imply he has already won a WDC, which he hasn't.
Sorry i mean to say he has been part of a constructors championship with Ferrari and Brawn.Edited by Nick3point2 on Saturday 26th November 09:28
I really like Rubens ...but i think he should just go with his head held high.
He is a capable race winner and consistent points finisher but not world drivers championship material.
Edited by Streps on Saturday 26th November 11:17
There's something about Rubens particular brand of whining that really gets on my tits. He had a genuine chance to be champion and couldn't take it. Still, I have enough respect for him to not want to see him fading away right at the back of the grid. Williams are far enough down. Go spend more time with your kids man!
Streps said:
Sorry i mean to say he has been part of a constructors championship with Ferrari and Brawn.
I really like Rubens ...but i think he should just go with his head held high.
He is a capable race winner and consistent points finisher but not world drivers championship material.
I see what you mean.I really like Rubens ...but i think he should just go with his head held high.
He is a capable race winner and consistent points finisher but not world drivers championship material.
Edited by Streps on Saturday 26th November 11:17
I think he's done a great job of being a number 2 driver over the second half of his career. He's been a part of is it 6 WCC? And whilst the headlining grabbing figures aren't there, as you say he consistently finished in the points. And when you are number 2 driver in the fastest car, you'd expect the number 1 driver to get the wins and poles.
Not to drag it off topic, I like Rubens and I hope he stays in F1. Or otherwise has a happy retirement.
However I disagree that it's bad for the sport to keep the old guys around. On any given lap a hard charging young driver may well have a few tenths on a veteran, but there are times when all that experience and a cooler head comes into it's own. See Button and Hamilton for a less extreme, but I believe relevant example.
I got into Indycar/CART and whatever else they were doing in the mid 1990s and it was great seeing drivers like Emmerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Rahal and Mario Andretti mixing it with Paul Tracy and Jacques Villeneuve, who were the young chargers back then (I'm getting old!).
Contrasted with F1 in 1995 where Schumacher was the only driver going into the season with a title under his belt. Similarly in Schumacher's most dominant period 2000 - 2004 only Jacques Villeneuve.
There's got to be a balance but I believe to displace a guy like Rubens Barrichello you have to really prove yourself in the junior formulae, and you still have a lot to learn from the guys who have been doing this for years.
However I disagree that it's bad for the sport to keep the old guys around. On any given lap a hard charging young driver may well have a few tenths on a veteran, but there are times when all that experience and a cooler head comes into it's own. See Button and Hamilton for a less extreme, but I believe relevant example.
I got into Indycar/CART and whatever else they were doing in the mid 1990s and it was great seeing drivers like Emmerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Rahal and Mario Andretti mixing it with Paul Tracy and Jacques Villeneuve, who were the young chargers back then (I'm getting old!).
Contrasted with F1 in 1995 where Schumacher was the only driver going into the season with a title under his belt. Similarly in Schumacher's most dominant period 2000 - 2004 only Jacques Villeneuve.
There's got to be a balance but I believe to displace a guy like Rubens Barrichello you have to really prove yourself in the junior formulae, and you still have a lot to learn from the guys who have been doing this for years.
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