Italian GP : Q & A Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello heads to one of his favourite tracks this weekend. He’s won at Monza three times and is hoping for another good result on Sunday.

Q: Do you enjoy racing at Monza?
RB: It’s a special place because it’s one of the oldest circuits on the calendar. When I first came into F1, I knew that Hockenheim and Monza were different to other tracks because they are very low downforce, but now it’s just Monza. That makes it much easier for the engineers because they have much more time to do just one wing!

Q: Do you have good memories of Monza?
RB: I’ve won here three times (twice for Ferrari, once for Brawn), so I like the place and I go quite well here. It’s all about braking well, taking the kerbs and having good traction. Braking is so, so important. I like the Tifosi as well and I still get lots of cuddles from them, even though I’m no longer dressed in red.

Q: Which of your three wins was the most special?
RB: The one for Brawn. It was the most difficult because I had to push the whole time and the car was no longer that competitive. Lewis [Hamilton] was on two stops and we were on one; it was really good. The Ferraris were always very good cars. In fact, the second win for Ferrari was a crazy race because there was a wet segment and I just pushed the whole time. They then said over the radio that I could calm down because I was leading, and I had no idea that I was leading!

Q: What’s the secret behind taking the kerbs well?
RB: It’s all about the attitude of the car and how early you can get back on the throttle. Turns 1 and 4 have changed for this year so it’s going to be a learning curve again.

Q: What are your hopes for the weekend ahead?
RB: This place is all about the homework you do. In the past, people set whatever drag levels they wanted, but the two DRS zones are going to make that different this year. There are going to be a lot of different strategies and I think you could see more than 10kph difference between what teams try. We’re very hopeful that we’ve gone for the right downforce setting, but we’ll have to wait for tomorrow to find out.

Q: Will tyre wear be as critical here as it was at Spa-Francorchamps?
RB: Pirelli has done a lot of testing at Monza, so they know it well. I understand the situation is more covered that it was at Spa, where all the teams suffered unexpected blisters. There was less blistering in the race because the asphalt became less aggressive as more rubber was put down. If we hadn’t had wet practice sessions in Spa, I think we probably wouldn’t have had the blistering that we saw during qualifying.

Q: What have you been up to since Spa?
RB: I’ve been mucking about on the internet. I won my first virtual race, called STCC2 – Swedish Touring Cars. I’ve done four races now and I’m leading the championship. It’s so professional and the set-up is so complicated that I don’t think a normal person would be able to do it. There are 65 of us in the championship and I’m racing against many of the guys who race stock cars in Brazil, and Felipe [Massa] as well.