Williams would reportedly be hesitating between Barrichello and Senna for 2012

« One should never sell the bear’s skin before having killed it », such is the moral that one could draw from the career and determination of Rubens Barrichello, who is still waiting for a seat that some had encouraged him to give up, starting with his friend, Felipe Massa, who gave him friendly advice before the Brazilian Grand Prix: « What I would advise him is to quit motorsport, because of his team and everything happening in our championship. There are 12 teams, and at least six of them require money from their drivers. With the career Rubens has had, I can’t imagine seeing him like this, needing to pay to race in F1. »

Yet, unshakeable, Rubens Barrichello continues to hope: « I haven’t planned to end my career. I really want to compete in my twentieth season in Formula One. […] The passion and desire are still there; now, one way or another, I will continue to compete » states the Paulista to the Brazilian site TotalRace.

Two days before Christmas, the former Ferrari driver stated on Twitter that he was returning from England and awaiting good news from Williams. However, last November, his fate seemed sealed as Grove no longer hid its interest in Kimi Räikkönen, who was eager to return to the driver’s seat. Since then, the Finn has donned the black and gold of the Lotus drivers, putting Adrian Sutil, rumored to be leaving Force India, as the top candidate for the seat previously held by Barrichello. The German’s profile is indeed appealing: an experienced driver, he is supported by the German company Medion – owned by the Chinese Lenovo – to the tune of 8 to 10 million euros according to various sources.

However, according to the Italian site omnicorse.it, Adrian Sutil would not have the favor of Adam Parr, president of Williams Grand Prix Engineering, partly due to the German driver’s legal troubles following a heated altercation with a Lotus Renault GP official in a Shanghai nightclub, which could, according to omnicorse.it, result in a travel ban for the German, thus depriving him of the Chinese Grand Prix.

According to omnicorse.it, the Grove men would then be divided between Rubens Barrichello and Bruno Senna, with the latter having the preference of Adam Parr, while the technical team would prefer the experience of the elder of the two Brazilians in view of a crucial 2012 after a disastrous 2011 season and with the team reuniting with its historical engine supplier: Renault. In The Sun, Rubens Barrichello also encourages Williams to renew their trust in him: « It would be smart of the team to keep their drivers to move forward. I don’t want to force their hand, I’m just trying to show them that it’s the way to go. »

According to Andrew Benson of the BBC, Rubens Barrichello could also benefit from the departure of Patrick Head, whose relationships with the São Paulo native, as well as with Adam Parr, were reportedly strained, especially in light of the Brazilian’s criticisms of the team’s management.

However, a new criterion now seems to have to be taken into account, as Williams now faces the loss of its title sponsor, AT&T, and might be tempted to engage the highest bidder. Adrian Sutil could in this case be back in the race, while Rubens Barrichello has reportedly managed to gather 5 million euros in funding from various investors, with the Brazilian even agreeing, according to Autosprint, to halve his salary. For its part, like with HRT and Lotus, the Senna camp also promises the arrival of investors if the nephew of the great Ayrton is signed, although these investors have not always lived up to their promises in the past.

For Fabio Seixas, journalist at Folha de Sao Paulo, Williams might still take its time before making a final decision, but one thing is certain: Rubens Barrichello is back in the running for the last seat at Williams and can now count on the purely symbolic support of Sebastian Vettel, who stated in the Swiss newspaper Blick: “I hope Barrichello stays with Williams. He’s a great guy.”