Barrichello's fuel shortage...

[Sparky]

What happened there? I felt that this Ferrari conspiracy stuff was rubbish.

Now I'm not so sure!

[Liz]

My take on it: that was done deliberately, to allow TGF to lap his teammate.

Rubens almost pulled the podium finish off anyway, but I have the feeling we have not heard the last of this one.

[Minardi fan]

I agree. The fuel thing with Barrichello smells of something rotten - namely team orders.

[Liz]

Team orders that Rubens has not agreed to - he has said he won't move over, so they have to screw him up in the pits to make him do it.

[Bononi]

Just after the race, during the podium celebrations, a TV reporter asked RB the reason of the 3rd pitstop. His answer : "I
have to talk to the team first. Then I will
tell you..."

[Liz]

Wouldn't I like to be the proverbial fly on the wall when THAT conversation took place!

[Bononi]

TV announced a quick interview with RB in the next 30 minutes...

[Liz]

We won't get it here - keep us posted!

[Sparky]

Barrichello, as he stepped from the car, said: "I saw the blue flags, and I ealised they were for me. But then the team asked me to let Michael by, so I had to"

Not a happy Bunny...

[Liz]

Rubens will not be at Ferrari past this year.

Rubens will go to McLaren.

You heard it here first.

[Bononi]

Well, something surely happened...
The same reporter just came up to say that
Barrichello just left the circuit without returning the "information" about what happened for the 3rd stop...
(If you folks, understand portuguese, you can
hear the quick interview in real audio mode here : www.globo.com - with the news about the gran prix.)

[Minardi fan]

Liz, as I sat watching this afternoon's race, I thought the very same thing - Barrichello shouldn't and WON'T stand to be messed around by the TGF - deifying twonks at Ferrari.

He won't go to McLaren, but he won't stay at Ferrari.

GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL HAVE A CAREER RUBENS!

[Liz]

There are several drives rumoured to be up for discussion. Any of them would be better than where he is now. What comes immediately to mind (assuming the McLaren thing didn't work out) is a swap with Jordan for Trulli. Rubens always got on very well with EJ and assuming the car is competitive (what a big assumption!) it would be a good place for him to run. Trulli being Italian, young, and essentially something of a dimwit (although a very good pilote) would be a much better fit at Ferrari than Rubens.

I am assuming there will be a Jacques for Button Spice deal with BAR, of course, though I do not believe Rubens would ever make it at Williams. That would be worse than Ferrari for him; and Jaguar is out of the question due to it being the former Stewart and Jackie no longer there.

P.S. I could not locate the interview with Rubens, though I did see an interesting story starring Luca Burti!

[This message has been edited by Liz (edited 21 May 2000).]

[Peter Mallett]

You are definitely right there Liz. Rubens is proving more of a No 2 driver than Irv ever could be. The man has no ambition. He appears to suffer from the "I'm Brazilian and have a god given right to be the best" syndrome. Well he'd better start performing. He couldn't even pass a sick McLaren today!!!

[wodonnell]

The problem at Ferrari is that is has this who legend surrounding it. Any driver is going to jump at the chance to drive a Prancing Horse, even if it means he is going to get screwed every time he poses a threat to his team mate.

[Bononi]

Sorry Liz. Here it is: http://www.globo.com/esportes/arquiv...521/4kjhut.htm

Just below the "earphones bitmap".

I've always feared that this would happen. Even when RB himself said that he would have the same equipment and treatment as TGF. I knew one of the two - RB or Ferrari - was blind... Now I am sure it was RB !

[Liz]

Thanks, I got the interview this time! The Internet is wonderful.

Pete, I don't think I said that about Rubens. I don't think he's a congenital no. 2 pilote; I think he's an honest man who was, as honest men and women often are, too ready to believe that the people he was dealing with were honest, too. Now he has found out what the rest of us knew: they are not. Now he needs to dump the idea of making them honest, cut his losses and try something else.

Incidentally, Rubens is now saying for public consumption that the problem was caused by his not being able to drive in the rain. Which for anyone who was watching that race, is clearly rubbish.

[Crash Test]

I wonder where Brawn parked his spaceship?

[Liz]

At BAR? Nobody would notice it among their weird stuff.

[Raelene]

Some people said that on RTL Schumacher said that both he and Rubens were on three stop strategies from the start.

Rubens was too slow in the dry (especially considering his light fuel load), but great in the wet. Michael made up enough of a lead to change to a two-stopper, Rubens didn't.

Let me ask you Xfiles people some questions.

Was Rubens ANY THREAT whatsoever to Michael in this race? No - so why would Ferrari sabotage him.

Do Ferrari just want to hand their points to McLaren. - No - so why would Ferrari sabotage Rubens for David.

As RB was NO THREAT to MS in this race, why would Ferrari sabotage RB's race to give DC an extra point. They wouldn't

geeeezzzzzz...

[downforce]

Yeah Raelene !
...and forget the sick Mclaren guys, he couldnt get past Pedro in an Arrows!!!
(well he did ...later puff pant!!)

How dyu give a Dusbin a superiority-complex?
...put it in a Ferrari and xpect the WDC!!!

[Liz]

Ferrari are sabotaging Rubens to put him in his place - i.e. No. 2. Rubens has been outspoken in his declaration that he is NOT the No. 2 driver, and Ferrari want him to understand that he is, and with TGF so far ahead in the points, they can afford to sacrifice the few points Rubens would make up at 3rd place over 4th, to keep him off the podium (which is the BIG difference between 3rd and 4th). If they think this will make him humble, I think they are wrong. It will make him angry, and judging by what he did toward the end of the race, when he is angry, he is a much better pilote. All Rubens has to do to get out of his contract is keep on making public statements about how Ferrari are sabotaging him. When people start paying attention, Ferrari will make sure he is sent to another team. They will say because he is a "troublemaker" which no one will believe.

[Toth]

And you really believe that!!!!

[R]

Raelene, I think you've got it right.

Rubens was no threat to TGF in this race - so Ferrari supposedly brought him in one extra time in order for TGF to lap him, and have him finish outside the podium? Come on, that's too much! No way would Ferrari throw away points like that. F1 is also a team sport, not only an individual sport. Ferrari would have gained two points on McLaren by having Rubens ahead of DC - that could very well decide the constructors championship. And they supposedly don't want it? Enzo Ferrari would spin in his grave if Ferrari were to use such self-destructive "tactics". It's just not probable. If Rubens were leading, with TGF in second, then I could buy it. But with TGF first, and Rubens a distant third - giving him an extra pit stop for him to be lapped and to put him in his place???(!) NO WAY!!!

[Redneck]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Raelene:
Was Rubens ANY THREAT whatsoever to Michael in this race? No - so why would Ferrari sabotage him.

Do Ferrari just want to hand their points to McLaren. - No - so why would Ferrari sabotage Rubens for David.

As RB was NO THREAT to MS in this race, why would Ferrari sabotage RB's race to give DC an extra point<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think it was something a little deeper. I am a die-hard Ferrari fan, thus I know something about their history. Enzo used to do things to his drivers that made no sense at all. Like delating the cars arrival to the last minute not allowing time to set-up. Actually I think Ruben's situation was one where they wanted to put him in a position to get in the way of Mika and any late charges that he may try. It didn't happen. Ruben's pulled right over for Mika. Ferrari has been playing this game for a long time, and thus many tricks up their sleeve.