Crew orders in F1
All through Formulation 1 historical past, there have been quite a few and infrequently controversial instances of crew orders, the place a crew instructs its driver to surrender their place in favor of their teammate. One of the criticized examples occurred close to the end line of the 2002 Austrian GP, when Rubens Barrichello slowed down simply meters from the road, handing victory to Michael Schumacher. The incident sparked widespread outrage, main Schumacher to deliver Barrichello onto the highest step of the rostrum and hand him the winner’s trophy. Later that yr on the US GP, Schumacher returned the favor on observe, with the 2 Ferrari drivers crossing the end line aspect by aspect.
Melbourne 2000
The connection between the 2 drivers was at all times reasonably chilly, with Barrichello constantly within the position of the second driver from his arrival at Maranello till 2005. This era noticed Ferrari safe 5 consecutive Constructors’ titles and Schumacher win 5 straight Drivers’ Championships. Few folks, nonetheless, have been conscious—till Rubens’ current feedback on the *Past the Grid* podcast—that the crew’s first instruction to remain behind Schumacher got here in the course of the 2000 Australian Grand Prix, his very first race with Ferrari after leaving Stewart.
The race ended with a Ferrari one-two end, which Rubens Barrichello recalled whereas reflecting on his time at Maranello:
“The toughest half was off the observe as a result of there was a lot extra work,” he started, referring to his transition to Ferrari. “There have been much more media, much more journey. There have been paperwork saying, ‘You may say this, you’ll be able to’t say that.’ Individuals have been watching, however each time I sat within the automobile, I felt the pleasure and gratitude of driving a very good automobile, and that made all of it worthwhile. Take Australia, the primary race. I used to be in P2, however throughout that race, I used to be closing in on Michael. That’s after I heard for the primary time on the radio that I needed to decrease the engine revs or one thing like that. You see, I used to be ready for this, however the actual stress for me was when my father, after work, would come to me and say, ‘Son, we don’t have cash to go to this go-kart race.’ That was stress. These robust moments ready me for when everybody was watching.” – he identified.
His years with Ferrari and Michael Schumacher
Moreover, Rubens Barrichello mirrored on the difficult relationship behind the scenes at Ferrari, regardless of his gratitude for the alternatives he had throughout his profession. He additionally shared his ideas on his expertise in comparison with Michael Schumacher’s:
“Would I’ve completed something in a different way in my profession? Certain, we’d have made some modifications alongside the best way, however I’m grateful for every little thing that occurred, even the robust moments at Ferrari,” he concluded. “I might spend an hour with Ross Brawn and Jean Todt saying, ‘Hear, this isn’t the way it needs to be completed, and so forth.’ Now, I generally see folks solely speaking to the press. I used to be nice with the press, however I had robust conversations with them as a result of, guys, it’s important to let me be myself. Was Schumacher higher than me? I believe he was. However was it 51-49? 70-30? I don’t know. We’ll by no means know as a result of it wasn’t a scenario the place you may be fully free.” – the Brazilian concluded.
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