25.03.2004 'It was a gamble that didn’t pay off' RUBENS BARRICHELLO REFLECTS ON MAKING THE WRONG TYRE CHOICE IN MALAYSIA

Rubens Barrichello is back home in Brazil after the Malaysian GP as, having returned to Europe for testing in between the first two races, he is sitting out pre-Bahrain testing.

Looking back at the second round of the championship, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver is philosophical about his race being affected by his tyre choice, as he opted for a harder compound than his team-mate. '

When I made the decision on Friday, it looked like it was going to be one of the hottest ever races in Malaysia, which is why I went for the harder tyre,' he explained. 'So that is what compromised my race and I knew it would be difficult the moment Sunday afternoon saw the track temperature drop much lower than the previous days. It was a gamble that didn’t pay off.'

'At the start this gave me some problems,' continued the Brazilian. 'Michael was really quick and I just tried to follow his pace. Then at Turn 4, it was really slippery and the tyres were not working so well at that point. It was in those two or three laps that I lost the most time and any chance of winning.'

Although Barrichello has put that disappointment behind him, he is upset that BMW-Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya accused him of deliberately slowing him down. 'I don’t feel Juan Pablo ever really had a chance to overtake me,' maintains the Ferrari man. 'I could see him behind me, but not in a way that he could have got by.

"I think what might have given him that impression was the time I was stuck trying to lap a Minardi. At first, he would not let me by and then he got really sideways in front of me at Turn 5, costing me around three seconds on one lap and I guess that’s why Juan Pablo got upset. It was annoying for me also, as it lost me any chance of moving ahead of anyone in those few laps when I could have been pushing hard. So I was a bit upset by Juan Pablo comments, because there is no way I would have wanted to lose three seconds in one lap. It was only the second race of the year and I wanted to win it for myself and the team, so with two laps to go until I was due to pit, why would I hold him up to make him lose time? I certainly didn’t change my strategy just to hold him up.'

Before the start of this season, several drivers raised the issue of having to deal with inexperienced backmarkers and Barrichello believes this problem was highlighted in Sepang. 'I think I was not the only one having problems with backmarkers and with some more difficult tracks coming up, this will be even more of a problem and I think something needs to be done about it.

'Sometimes you see the guy in front of you is so anxious to let you past that he slows down too quickly and that is very dangerous. If you are being lapped, the best thing is to just lift off a tiny amount from the throttle while accelerating and the following car will easily manage to get by. The other mistake we have seen is someone who pushes too hard through a difficult corner to get out of your way and then spins in front of you, which can be very dangerous.'

Putting aside his disappointment at not getting to the Malaysian podium, Barrichello is in optimistic mood for the forthcoming races. 'On the positive side, this race really showed the potential of the F2004 and if I had not suffered that problem in the early stages, I am sure we could have finished one-two again,' he says. 'But Michael had a better tyre choice and the work Ferrari has done together with Bridgestone is fantastic and I would agree with Ross Brawn who said the Malaysian win was down to the tyres. The irony of the situation in Sepang is that I was the one who went to Valencia after Melbourne to try the tyres. I was hoping for a certain set of weather conditions, but it went the other way, so maybe what I learnt in Valencia actually counted against me!'

For the next few days, Barrichello can concentrate on his training in the warm Brazilian weather. 'A few days before the next race, I will be heading for Dubai to train in similar conditions to the race, as I’m told Bahrain might be even hotter than Malaysia, although not so humid. It seems strange being in Sao Paulo at this time of year knowing that for the first time in many years my home race is not the next round on the calendar.'