07.04.2004 'The car, the team and the tyres are all doing fantastically well so far this season and I am so proud of the work the team has done' RUBENS BARRICHELLO REFLECTS ON MALAYSIA

After coming second to his team-mate in the Bahrain Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello has come to Europe to take part in Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s intensive two weeks of testing prior to the fourth round of the championship, the San Marino GP on 25 April.

'I made my first trip to the Middle East with an open mind and I enjoyed seeing somewhere new,' recalled the Ferrari man.

'We got a wonderful welcome from the people in Bahrain and I was impressed with the country. Before we went, there had been a lot of talk about possible problems with sandstorms, with lack of grip on the track and sand making life tough for the engines.

'But to be honest, apart from the fact the visibility was very poor on race morning, I think it turned out better than we expected. It’s true that we all found the track surface very slippery off-line, but I really believe that had more to do with the asphalt being very new rather than the fault of the sand.'

After three days of running on the desert circuit, Barrichello shares the generally held view that it provided an interesting challenge. 'The Sakhir circuit is different in many ways to Sepang, but what these two new tracks have in common is the possibility to overtake and we saw that in Sunday’s race which had plenty of excitement.

'At the start, I was convinced I would be able to have a run at Michael going into the first corner. I did, but he was brave enough to keep on. I guess we braked at the same point and while I was able to use him as a 'marker' or reference point for my braking point, he probably had no reference, which is why he locked his brakes quite badly. But he turned into the corner fair and square and then there was nothing I could do.'

Barrichello had hoped that his different set-up choices would have allowed him to attack Schumacher during the course of the race, but it was not to be. 'I had a slightly different configuration to Michael on the brakes, which I knew would put me in better shape to attack towards the end of the race,' explained the Brazilian. 'Unfortunately, the problem at the first pit stop cost me a valuable five seconds and you cannot give a driver like Michael such an advantage, so even though my whole package; brakes engine, tyres was fine, there was nothing I could do to catch him.

'At that first pit-stop, there was a misunderstanding, when the lollipop man gave me the sign to go, even though I was still on the jack, as it took longer than usual to change the right rear tyre. So I was in first gear and applied the throttle but nothing happened. I didn’t understand at first, because I didn’t realise I was in the air.'

After a frantic first six weeks of the season, with three grands prix completed, Formula 1 can take a deep breath and take an extra week to prepare for the start of the European season: a good moment for Rubens to reflect on the opening trio of races. 'The car, the team and the tyres are all doing fantastically well so far this season and I am so proud of the work the team has done,' stated Barrichello.

'I am also happy with my own efforts. Michael has been very strong for the first three races. The closest I got to him was in Australia, then in Malaysia I think the cool weather on race day played against my tyre choice, and now in Bahrain, I had a good race even though I had expected to do a bit better. So I feel I am there on the right pace. I don’t think the whole season will go like this and as long as I keep working hard I am sure there will be a turning point for me.'