Eleven Grands Prix, two runner-up finishes with Ferrari, a 2009 season with Brawn and a long career that moved from Formula One to stock cars.
Rubens Barrichello is a Brazilian driver who competed in Formula One from 1993 to 2011. He won eleven Grands Prix and took second place in the title race twice, in 2002 and 2004, while at Ferrari. He later won the Stock Car Pro Series in 2014 and 2022.
Rubens Barrichello is a Brazilian racing driver who spent nineteen seasons in Formula One. He finished runner-up in the championship twice with Ferrari, in 2002 and 2004, and he won eleven Grands Prix. He later became a two-time champion of the Stock Car Pro Series in Brazil.
Who is Rubens Barrichello?
Rubens Goncalves Barrichello was born on 23 May 1972 in Sao Paulo. Known as Rubinho, a nickname that means little Rubens in Portuguese, he competed in Formula One from 1993 to 2011. Across nineteen seasons he won eleven Grands Prix and finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in 2002 and 2004 with Ferrari.
Barrichello won five karting titles in Brazil before moving to Europe in 1990, when he took the Formula Vauxhall Lotus Euroseries. He won the British Formula 3 Championship in 1991. He very nearly reached Formula One at nineteen, and instead spent 1992 in International Formula 3000, where he finished third in the championship.
Eleven Grands Prix, two runner-up titles with Ferrari and the most podiums ever by a driver without a world championship.
How did Barrichello reach Jordan and his first podium?
Barrichello signed for Jordan in 1993 and made his Formula One debut at the South African Grand Prix. His only points that year came from fifth at the Japanese Grand Prix. He kept his seat for 1994 and claimed his first podium with third at the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida.
His third race, the European Grand Prix, was a strong one. He started twelfth in wet conditions, was fourth by the end of the first lap and ran as high as second before a fuel pressure problem ended his race. Jordan's reliability was poor that year, but Barrichello regularly outpaced more experienced teammates Ivan Capelli and Thierry Boutsen.
What happened at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix?
During Friday practice at Imola, Barrichello crashed violently at the Variante Bassa, and the car flipped. The impact knocked him unconscious, and his tongue threatened to block his airway. He credited the trackside work of Sid Watkins with saving his life.
The weekend was one of the darkest in the sport's history. Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying, and on Sunday Ayrton Senna died in the race. Senna had been Barrichello's mentor and idol, and Barrichello was deeply affected by the loss.
He recovered to take pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, a record for the youngest driver to secure pole at Spa-Francorchamps at that time. He led laps at Estoril, finished fourth at Adelaide and ended 1994 sixth in the championship with 19 points, ahead of Eddie Irvine on six.
Why did Barrichello's Jordan years fade?
In 1995 Jordan's cars were less reliable than in 1994, partly because the team took over the works Peugeot engine contract from McLaren. Barrichello finished second at Montreal but lost points through retirements, and he ended the year eleventh with 11 points. His hopes for 1996 were high, but Jordan became less competitive as the season progressed.
Sponsorship from a cigarette brand brought new money into the team for 1996. Barrichello was among the frontrunners in Brazil before spinning after his brakes overheated. His relationship with team owner Eddie Jordan soured during the year, and he left at the end of 1996 for the newly formed Stewart Grand Prix. His final season at Jordan produced 14 points.
How did the Stewart years go?
Stewart's debut season in 1997 was hampered by reliability problems, and Barrichello finished only three races. His highlight was second place at Monaco, which left him 13th in the standings. 1998 brought little more, with two fifth places as the team's best results.
1999 was a much better year for the team. Barrichello qualified third at his home race in Brazil and led laps before his engine blew near the Subida dos Boxes. He took pole in the wet at the French Grand Prix and finished on the podium at San Marino, France and Europe. His teammate Johnny Herbert won the European Grand Prix, but Barrichello generally outpaced him, which caught the eye of Ferrari boss Jean Todt.
How did Barrichello win his first Grand Prix?
Barrichello joined Ferrari for 2000 to partner Michael Schumacher, and he took his maiden Grand Prix victory at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim that year. Starting 18th, he kept dry-weather tyres on as rain fell on part of the circuit, and he passed the McLarens that had pitted for wets.
The wait had been the longest any driver in Formula One history had endured for a maiden win at that time. Barrichello finished most races on the podium that season, but he was outscored by Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, and he finished fourth in the drivers' standings.
Why was Barrichello runner-up twice?
Barrichello finished second in the championship in 2002, scoring 77 points with four wins. He was runner-up again in 2004, with 114 points and 14 podiums. Both times he finished behind Schumacher, his teammate at Ferrari and the central figure in the team's run of championships.
In 2003 he finished fourth with 65 points, including wins at Silverstone and Suzuka. In 2004 he won the Italian and Chinese Grands Prix to clinch second place. The team's success in that era earned five consecutive World Constructors' Championships, with Barrichello as a key supporting driver.
The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix was controversial. Ferrari's team orders required Barrichello to let Schumacher pass on the final straight to take the win. The drivers swapped places on the podium, and both were fined for disrupting podium protocol. The episode led the FIA to ban team orders from 2003.
Ferrari fell back in 2005 after tyre rules changed and its Bridgestone tyres proved less effective than Michelin. Barrichello's best results were two second places, at Melbourne and at the United States Grand Prix, where the Michelin-shod cars retired after the formation lap and left only six cars in the race. He finished eighth with 38 points, his worst season with Ferrari.
Why did Barrichello leave Ferrari for Honda?
Barrichello announced in August 2005 that he would leave Ferrari at the end of the year to join Honda. According to a 2022 interview with Felipe Massa, Honda had approached him in early 2005, and he was unhappy with how Ferrari had treated him. Massa took his seat for 2006.
His first season with Honda was difficult. Teammate Jenson Button was quicker at first, and Barrichello said the car did not suit his braking style. At Monaco he was handed a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and finished fourth, the best Monaco result for Honda as a team. He qualified third in China, ahead of Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, and finished seventh overall with 30 points, 26 behind Button.
How did Barrichello break the record for Grand Prix starts?
Barrichello made his 257th Grand Prix start at the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix, breaking the record of 256 held by Riccardo Patrese. That record had stood for fourteen years. Honda's decision to keep him for 2008 gave him the five race starts he needed to reach the mark.
He had no points in 2007, the first season in his career without a score, and his best result was ninth at the British Grand Prix. Honda confirmed in July 2007 that he would remain with the team as a race driver for 2008.
The 2008 season opened with sixth in Australia, but he was disqualified for ignoring a red light at the pit exit. On 5 December 2008, Honda announced that it was quitting Formula One because of the economic crisis.
How close did Barrichello come to the 2009 title with Brawn?
Barrichello stayed with the team in 2009 when Ross Brawn bought the Honda operation and renamed it Brawn GP. He finished third in the championship with 77 points, behind champion Jenson Button and runner-up Sebastian Vettel. Brawn's early form was strong, and Barrichello was second on the grid in Melbourne.
His season had highs and lows. He finished second in Melbourne, fifth in Malaysia and fourth in China, and he lost a chance to challenge for the title in Brazil after a puncture. At Monaco he passed Michael Schumacher's total of 13,909 laps on lap 47, which made him the driver who had completed the most laps in Formula One history.
Victory came at Valencia, his tenth Grand Prix win and his first in five years. It was also the 100th win by a Brazilian driver in Formula One. At Monza he took his 11th career win, and he gained points on Button in the fight for the title.
In Germany he publicly criticised the team's strategy after a fuel rig problem cost him a better result. He later admitted he had overreacted.
What did Barrichello do at Williams?
Barrichello turned down a McLaren offer for 2010 because he had already pledged himself to Williams. He was partnered by Nico Hulkenberg, and that season he became the first driver to compete in more than three hundred Grands Prix. He was also elected chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.
His best result of the season came at Valencia, with fourth place. He passed Ayrton Senna's career tally of 614 points to become the highest-scoring Brazilian driver in Formula One. He celebrated his 300th Grand Prix at Belgium but retired after a collision with Fernando Alonso on the first lap.
His final season was 2011. He retired in Australia and Malaysia, and his last race was the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he finished fourteenth. In a 2022 interview he said Frank Williams had fired him by phone in early January 2012. Bruno Senna replaced him, a decision that Williams said was made because of Senna's financial backing.
What were Barrichello's Formula One career totals?
Barrichello raced in Formula One from 1993 to 2011 and won eleven Grands Prix. He also took 14 pole positions, set 17 fastest laps and scored 68 podiums. The podium total remains the record for a driver who never won a world championship.
| Season | Team | Championship position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Jordan | 18th | 2 |
| 1994 | Jordan | 6th | 19 |
| 1995 | Jordan | 11th | 11 |
| 1996 | Jordan | Not recorded | 14 |
| 1997 | Stewart | 13th | Not recorded |
| 2000 | Ferrari | 4th | Not recorded |
| 2001 | Ferrari | 3rd | 56 |
| 2002 | Ferrari | 2nd | 77 |
| 2003 | Ferrari | 4th | 65 |
| 2004 | Ferrari | 2nd | 114 |
| 2005 | Ferrari | 8th | 38 |
| 2006 | Honda | 7th | 30 |
| 2007 | Honda | Not recorded | 0 |
| 2009 | Brawn GP | 3rd | 77 |
What did Barrichello do after Formula One?
Barrichello joined KV Racing Technology for the 2012 IndyCar season. He finished eleventh at the Indianapolis 500, took the Rookie of the Year title and ended the year twelfth in the championship. He then moved to Brazil's Stock Car Pro Series, where he won the championship in 2014 and again in 2022 with Full Time Sports.
His 2014 title was his first championship in 23 years, dating back to his 1991 British Formula 3 title. In 2016 he finished runner-up in the 24 Hours of Daytona with Wayne Taylor Racing. In 2019 he made a one-off return in Australia's S5000 class at Sandown, qualifying third and finishing fourth overall.
From 2013 to 2014 he was a commentator and pundit for TV Globo. He later co-hosted the motorsport YouTube channel Acelerados, and in 2025 he won the Interlagos and Velocitta rounds of the NASCAR Brasil Series, finishing first in the overall standings.
What are some memorable moments from Barrichello's career?
Barrichello's helmets often carried tributes. At the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix he swapped helmet liveries with his friend Tony Kanaan, a Brazilian IndyCar driver. At the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix he wore a helmet honouring Ingo Hoffmann, who was retiring that year. His helmet carried the Brazilian flag colours at his 300th Grand Prix.
He also set a memorable lap on the Top Gear test track, when he was ahead of The Stig by 0.1 seconds with a time of 1:44.3. Jeremy Clarkson frequently joked about the Stig's dislike of Barrichello as a result.
How is Barrichello remembered in Formula One?
Barrichello is remembered as one of Formula One's most durable drivers, with nineteen seasons, a record number of starts and a lap total that passed Schumacher's. Two runner-up finishes with Ferrari and a third place with Brawn in 2009 underline his consistency across several teams.
His record of 68 podiums stands as the benchmark for drivers who never won a world title, and his career spans the era from Jordan to Williams. Many of his best results came in long, hard seasons rather than single standout weekends.
