Rubens Barrichello is the longest-serving driver in history, with well over 300 Grands Prix starts to his name. As such, you would think that the Brazilian veteran has seen and done pretty much all there is to do in terms of Formula One racing. You’d be wrong. There’s still plenty left on Barrichello’s F1 fantasy wish list, including playing team manager to Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton, driving a 1980s’ turbo Renault at Interlagos, and celebrating his first world title at his local steakhouse…
Q: You must choose a city for a new Formula One street circuit - which city, anywhere in the world, do you choose, and why?
Rubens Barrichello: I’d love to see Formula One back in a US city. That’s why I believe that Austin will be great. There have been races in the past in Las Vegas and Dallas - I have watched them on TV - and they looked just great.
Q: If you could choose one former world champion as your team mate, who would you choose and why?
RB: Ayrton Senna. I would love to have him. It would be learning and fighting - because you never learn without fighting. I would never be happy to finish behind him, so it would be a constant push to the limit. I think he was fantastic in pushing to the limit.
Q: Formula One innovations of the past - ground effect, active suspension, turbocharging, six wheels, the list goes on. If you could bring back one past innovation, what would it be and why?
RB: I think when they had the turbo engines - 1000 horsepower in qualifying for the fastest lap! Oh boy, I wish I could have driven one of those cars.
Q: What innovations would you like to see in the future?
RB: It is very difficult to see yourself and something else in the future. But as human beings we have to be prepared to accept different things - things that for the moment maybe we say, ‘no, I don’t like this,’ but which could be safer for us in the future. Anything that makes us safer - and allows us to do ‘crazy corners’ - would be appreciated!
Q: You can only drive at one circuit for the rest of your life - which circuit, past or present from anywhere in the world, do you choose?
RB: That is an easy one. I would pick Interlagos all the way! Stay home and race Interlagos. That would be incredible - and it is a fantastic track to boot.
Q: Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Tyrrell, March - just some of the teams that have departed the sport. Which former team would you most liked to have raced with and why?
RB: I love my first memory of Formula One and that is a memory with Lotus - the Chapman Lotus team. That was awesome - and probably the reason I decided to pursue a career in racing.
Q: You have to design a new F1 circuit, combining all your favourite corners from other tracks around the world. Which three corners are top of your list and why?
RB: I would say Eau Rouge at Spa, Becketts Corner at Silverstone and Turn Six at Interlagos - the blind corner to the right. That would be my pick.
Q: You can travel back in time and compete in any decade of Formula One racing, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Which decade would you choose and why?
RB: The 1980s - because that is my first memory of Formula One racing and there my desire was born. I got into Formula One in 1993 and the cars already looked modern in the way they look today. In the ‘80s they looked very different. They looked like hell machines - fast and furious.
Q: What current Formula One regulation would you most like to change and why?
RB: I am so flexible and adapt very well to any rules, so I wouldn’t change much. Too many things done to the car is not great, but having said that, the (DRS) wing and all that, you adapt to that. The only thing probably that drivers don’t like - because you want to go fast - is the fact that the cars are heavy at the start of the race. So the refuelling pit stops were great - maybe not that safe, but then if you crash on a full tank that’s not the safest either. I think the cars were better to drive - and faster - with less fuel.
Q: If you could pick two Formula One greats of the past (from different eras) to watch race against each other, whom would you pick?
RB: What you can see on YouTube now - and I actually saw it live - was Gilles Villeneuve driving alongside Rene Arnoux. That was fantastic, so I would pick these two and tell them, ‘drive!’
Q: If you were a team boss, which current driver would you pick first for your team (excluding yourself and your current team mate)?
RB: I am a fan of Lewis Hamilton and I would like to see Robert Kubica alongside him. I think that could be a great driver line-up.
Q: Just 19 of the world’s motor racing circuits feature on the current F1 calendar. You can add one more. Which circuit do you pick and why?
RB: Definitely a US race. And we should return to Argentina and to Rio - and keep Interlagos!
Q: You are having a dinner party and can invite four people from the world of motorsport, past or present. Who do you invite?
RB: I had so much fun watching Gerhard Berger and Ayrton Senna, so I definitely would pick those two. I would then invite Felipe Massa to give him the chance to have fun with them. And Juan Manuel Fangio - the grandmaster himself.
Q: You are given the chance to drive any legendary Formula One car of the past (excluding those made by your own team). Which car would you choose?
RB: The first car that I went to see when I was five and my dad took me to a test at Interlagos was a Renault. I would love to drive that car because it’s my first memory. When you are so young you dream that the guy comes to you asking, ‘do you want to drive?’ And I then would have said, ‘of course!’ I still have a model of that car at home.
Q: Rooftop swimming pool, bowling alley, revolving sushi bar - just some of the features most F1 motorhomes don’t possess. If you could add one thing to your team’s motorhome, what would it be?
RB: If you had a swimming pool at one of the motorhomes my guess is that the public would never see the drivers, so that one would probably not be such a good idea. I think that the paddock is an incredible place. It is a fantastic work environment, a news room and a top-end hospitality place - so it is perfect as it is.
Q: Imagine you have just won the world title. Where would you go for your celebratory meal and what would choose from the menu?
RB: I would go back to Brazil as soon as possible and would go to a churrascaria (a Brazilian steakhouse) and get all my friends there - about 300. A churrascaria would definitely be the best place for such a party.
Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)
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