By Greig Murray
October 13 2002

Rubens Barrichello rounded of his 2002 season with 2nd place in the Japanese Grand Prix and that was good enough for the Brazilian. Rubens drove another rock steady race but never had the pace to challenge for the race win.

More News >> Ferrari Pictures >> Ferrari Shop >> Meet The Team

The 2002 season has ended a lot better for Rubens Barrichello than looked possible after his early season problems forced him out of the title running. Barrichello's luck has finally turned around and this second place will send him off on his winter break in high hopes. Being part of this Ferrari success is very special to Rubens and he and Michael Schumacher are now the most successful team pairing in the history of the sport.

“I am very happy for me and for Ferrari. To be part of this family with such a great car is incredible. I must thank Bridgestone, with whom we worked even closer than usual over this weekend. We have had a wonderful season with them and all the hard work paid off and we will be even stronger next year."

Barrichello's race was steady enough to keep any challenge to the Ferrari 1-2 at bay. He never had the race pace today to match that of Schumacher's and once again he felt not totally at ease with the balance of his F2002, something that seems to be a problem for him many times this season.

"At the start, I lost a bit to Michael and then for the first few laps the car was bottoming out a bit too much, so I was being careful not to spin and damage the tyres. After the first stop, I was not completely happy with the balance of the car, but that was my only problem all afternoon and I could cope with it. Maybe we went a little bit the wrong way in our set-up for the race. But with the gap to those behind me, I just had to concentrate and maintain my pace. Anyway, with two wins in the last three races, I am very happy.”

Voice Your Opinion >> Ferrari FAQ >> Mailing List >> Contact Us