Now, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro man is turning his attention to the British Grand Prix, which is something of a home track, as he spent so much time racing in the lower formulae and then testing for English F1 teams. “My earliest memory of racing at Silverstone goes back to 1990, when I was in the European Opel-Lotus series and I came here to do a race to get to know the track,” he explained. “It was a huge grid and a very challenging championship, with drivers like Coulthard and De Ferran competing. That time, it did not go so well, but later I won the Lotus race at the Grand Prix meeting, so I have fond memories of this place.”

Testing at Silverstone a month ago gave Barrichello a chance to re-acquaint himself with the place. “The conditions were tricky, because it was wet and then the wind dried the track very quickly,” recalled the Brazilian. “The car worked very well so I am looking forward to the race. In terms of set-up, you need a bit of everything: aerodynamically the car needs to work well because of fast corners like Copse, Becketts and Stowe. You also need good brakes for Club and Brooklands and the tyres have to survive well, because you need good traction out of some of the turns. The track really needs a good combination of all the elements of the car.”