FORMULA 1/Brazilian Grand Prix: Rubens Barrichello believes Ferrari's 2002 car is still good enough to push the under-performing team back into this year's world championship. The reigning world champions have yet to score a victory this season and have taken just one podium place in the opening two rounds of the title race, Barrichello claiming third in Malaysia a fortnight ago.
But despite hysterical talk of a Ferrari "crisis" in Italy, Barrichello yesterday said he still believes in the competitiveness of the F2002, and is hoping he can prove it on home soil at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
"I still think the old car is the best and on the fuel and everything that has changed under the new regulations it is still at the top - it's fast," he said as he arrived at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit yesterday. "With the new rules there was a bit of a mix of cars at the front and some quick cars going to the back but I still think it's good enough."
With just 16 points scored and lagging 10 points behind arch-rivals McLaren, this has been the worst Ferrari start to a season in five years, prompting calls for the team's new car, the F2003-GA, to be introduced as quickly as possible. Reliability problems in recent weeks, including two suspension failures, one of which put test driver Luca Badoer in hospital, have, however, forced Ferrari to stick to their original schedule of a European season debut at Imola. Barrichello yesterday said he had no problem with a San Marino GP debut for the car and claimed that reliability issues had been addressed.
"I did test the new car last week and I'm sure it's a faster car than the old one. It's reliable as well as I did the whole day in Barcelona without a problem. I'll test it again at Fiorano next week and hopefully debut it at Imola. That's the plan."
This weekend Barrichello will have to satisfy himself with another outing in the F2002, in which he'll aim to eclipse McLaren's interim car and the new FW25 of Williams. Both Ferrari rivals are equipped with Michelin tyres, which last year proved the pace, with Juan Pablo Montoya claiming pole and the race's fastest lap, before being outstripped by Ferrari's more durable Bridgestones. Michelin have so far dominated the tyre war taking five of the six available podium places but Barrichello yesterday said he wasn't worried about the French team's Interlagos record.
A revived McLaren outfit, a Williams team beginning to find its groove and tyre war setbacks won't be the only threats to be dismissed for the Brazilian as he takes on another quest for home glory. The Brazilian's disastrous record at his home circuit will also play on his mind.
This will be the Paulista's 11th Brazilian start and if he scrambles into the top eight on Sunday, it will be just his second points finish at Interlagos, the driver scoring his first, a fourth place, while with Jordan in 1994. It will also be only his second finish at the track.
The Brazilian, however, discounted his past record and said he wouldn't dwell on past incidents.
"2003 is mine!" he joked. "I don't believe in those things. The world of Formula One made me change to a much more real picture of what happens and I'm going to be working flat out to win the race here. For me it would be like winning the world championship. I'm focused, I'm better than ever and will work with whole team to make it happen.
"I've been surprised to not have finished the race in a Ferrari yet," he added. "There's no point in thinking about the past and thinking 'I must go slow here to finish the race'. I'll just go out and do it."
He even predicted an unusual podium celebration should he become the first Brazilian since Ayrton Senna in 1993 to win on home turf. "It would be a dream come true for me," he said. "I think I'd do a Guns 'n Roses and jump into the crowd off the podium."
Barrichello's challenge, however, will come from not only team-mate Michael Schumacher, searching for his first podium finish of the season, but also from McLaren's championship-leading Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn, like Barrichello, yesterday admitted he was in no hurry to climb into McLaren's 2003 challenger, to be dubbed the MP4-18.
"I don't know when the new car is going to come. There will be a shakedown next week. Alex (Wurz, reserve driver) will do that. As soon as we get it reliable and quicker than the old car then we'll bring it to the race," he said. "With the old car, It was quite difficult to know what was going to happen. I knew the car was quicker and more reliable than last year and we knew we should be in good position. Now it looks like the car is good enough to win races and it has been, good start for us."
Meanwhile, the ITV television producer suspected of suffering from the SARS virus, is recuperating well in the Albert Einstein private hospital in Sao Paulo.
Former grand prix racer Pedro de la Rosa yesterday joined McLaren-Mercedes as a test driver to boost the team's battle for the world championship. The 32-year-old Spaniard who drove for Jordan, Arrows and Jaguar will work alongside Wurz in testing the car for David Coulthard and Raikkonen who have scored victories in the opening two races.
De la Rosa, who made his testing bow for the team last week, will work on last year's car which the team are still using and also help develop the 2003 model which will make its debut when Formula One heads to Europe.
