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Abu Dhabi's Q & A with Rubens Barrichello

Posted on Friday 11 Nov 2011

Rubens Barrichello has never qualified lower than seventh in Abu Dhabi. Can he maintain that qualifying form this weekend and get into Q3 for the first time in 2011? Here’s what the Brazilian had to say ahead of the race weekend.

Q: The pace of the FW33 was better in India. Why was that?
RB: There weren’t so many new parts; it was a case of us understanding our package a bit better. We used to have problems with the aerodynamics at the rear, but that’s been sorted, and the tyre wear and consistency has improved as well.

Q: Are you looking forward to racing at Yas Marina?
RB: I like the circuit. The first couple of corners are fast and challenging and then there’s a series of slow and technical corners at the end. It’s an enjoyable circuit.

Q: It was difficult to overtake at this race last year. Will DRS solve those problems?
RB: This is a track where the corners onto the straight are very slow and it’s difficult to get on the gas before the guy in front. For that reason, the DRS has to help. On paper it looks as if the FIA has been quite generous with the overtaking space, but we’ve got to give it a chance. I’m sure we’ll get more overtaking on Sunday.

Q: Why do you think the DRS didn’t work so well in India?
RB: I’ve watched the race on TV and you could see that most of the top cars were on the limiter along that long straight. When you’re on the limiter, you cannot overtake. If you’re on the limiter at 320kph and the guy in front can do 321kph without DRS, you’re done. There’s nothing you can do, and that was the problem in India.

Q: What’s your attitude towards the penalties handed out by the race stewards this year?
RB: In a way, the drivers want more penalties because the situation was too vague in the past. I can agree, and disagree, with many of the penalties that have been given out by the stewards this year, but their intentions are good.

I thought, for example, that the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa in India was a racing accident because one was trying to out-brake the other. I don’t think there should have been any penalties there, but, as drivers, you want penalties to know where the limit lies.

Credit: at&t Williams F1 (www.williamsf1.com)