Saturday, Jul 06, 2002
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Racing : Motor
Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello of the Ferrari team shows his Brazilian football World Cup shirt with the final score against Germany while Williams' driver Juan Pablo Montoya looks on at a press conference at the Silverstone track on Thursday.
The message was meant for Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher, a reminder of Brazil's 2-0 victory last weekend over Germany in the World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan. ``Made it specially for him (Schumacher),'' Barrichello said on Thursday. ``After the game I tried to call him everywhere, but he wasn't anywhere. I don't know where he was. He really didn't answer.'' Asked why he had not cut his hair, a la Ronaldo, Barrichello said he couldn't afford to risk it with his slightly thinning hair. ``I was afraid my hair wouldn't grow anymore,'' he said. Barrichello is on a roll. He won the European GP two weeks ago in Nuerburgring, Germany. Then came the World Cup triumph. A third success could come in Sunday's British Grand Prix, with Barrichello emerging as a real competitor for Schumacher. The Brazilian's win in the European GP on June 23 gave him 26 points in the last six races. He would have four more points had he not been forced to follow controversial team orders and yield first place to Schumacher in the Austrian Grand Prix. Barrichello led from the pole in Austria only to be forced to settle for second. In addition to Schumacher, the Brazilian took a jab at the English weather with a gloomy forecast for the weekend calling for rain. ``In a way it's very funny because if you put the Silverstone race to whenever you wish — July, October, May, January — there's going to be rain.'' Sunday's British GP is the 10th race of the year — seven will remain after Sunday — with Schumacher all but guaranteed of winning his fifth season title, tying Juan Manuel Fangio's legendary record. The German has 76 points and has won six of nine races to go with two second-place finishes and one third. Ralf Schumacher at BMW Williams has 30 followed by teammate Juan Pablo Montoya (27) with Barrichello and David Coulthard at McLaren tied (26 each). Ferrari also leads the constructors' race with 102 points followed by BMW Williams (57), McLaren (37), Renault (14) and Sauber (9). Montoya has failed to finish the last three races — two with a blown engine and the other when he spun out after bumping with Coulthard — and will be pressing hard to do better on Sunday and end his bad run. ``I've been a bit unlucky with the engine — and the last one I was fighting with David and my tires were completely gone and I just spun,'' said Montoya, who predicted a `tough weekend' for BMW Williams because of `tire conditions.' Ferrari is using Bridgestone tires with McLaren and BMW Williams is using Michelin. ``The biggest thing we've got at the moment is (lack of) consistency of the tire. As you see, Bridgestone can do the same lap time after 15 laps or after the first lap. We can't get anywhere close to that.'' Asked if Schumacher was unbeatable, Montoya was quick to reply. ``I don't think he is. Rubens beat him in the last race. I think the guy is really good, but he's got a really good car as well, so it makes his life a lot easier.''
Arrows besieged with problems
Off the track, the Arrows racing team on Thursday was on the verge of missing Sunday's race because of financial problems with a company lawyer saying the team was ``doomed short of a miracle.'' The team, which did not have any of its cars at the Silverstone track on Thursday, was given until Friday to have its vehicles undergo the official pre-race inspection. The inspection is usually done on Thursday. The FIA, the governing body of motor sport, gave Arrows the one-day extension. If the team misses the race because of insolvency, it will lose its right to compete in F1. Arrows team director Tom Walkinshaw also missed a Thursday press conference at the Silverstone track. No explanation was given.
Barrichello was fastest in the first practice session here while Michael Schumacher spun out on his first lap in the rain. On a cool, rainy day Barrichello timed 1min 33.531sec over the 5.141-km Silverstone circuit. Jenson Button in a Renault was second in 1:34.744 with Coulthard third in 1:35.295. Schumacher went out for practice and on his first lap went off the track and stopped before a wall without damaging his car.
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