Q&A with Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello loves Istanbul Park. He’s hoping it will be the scene of his first points’ finish of the year on Sunday.

What are your hopes for the weekend ahead?

RB: To score points! It was good to get both cars to the finish in China and we now need to get more speed from the FW33. We haven’t had an optimal race weekend so far this year, so we need to have a trouble-free weekend and see what we can achieve.

How competitive do you expect the car to be?

RB: We have several new parts for this race, all of which we hope will contribute to the performance of the car. The factory has been working flat-out, with some new parts not arriving until Friday morning. They’re pushing hard.

Do you rate Istanbul Park as a circuit?

RB: I haven’t had much luck at this track over the years, but I enjoy racing here a lot. It has a nice flow and it’s challenging from a technical point of view. Everyone talks about Turn 8, which is a challenging corner, but there are plenty of other blind, fast and challenging corners.

How will the cooler weather conditions affect the performance of the car?

RB: We’ll have to wait and see. There’s a one in three chance of rain on Sunday, so we’ll need to get some wet weather mileage on Friday – when we know it’s definitely going to be wet – just in case. More than anything, this weather reminds me of living Cambridge in the UK. This could be a summer’s day in England!

What are your thoughts on the recent technical reshuffle at AT&T Williams?

RB: I’m sorry to hear about Sam [Michael]’s departure. I’ve worked with him since my Jordan days and I was glad to be reunited with him at Williams. But I think the team needs changes because too many people have been doing too many jobs. It would be like me driving the car and getting out to check the tyre pressures. That wouldn’t work.

What are your thoughts on Mike Coughlan joining the team in June as chief engineer?

RB: I don’t know Mike well, but I welcome him and his knowledge to the team. He’s had a difficult last couple of years, but you only learn by making mistakes and if you learn from them and you become a better person, then you deserve a second chance.