In Qatar, you told the media that you would like to do endurance running with your two sons. Have you made any progress on this idea?<\/b><\/p>\n
No, it is still too early for that. I mean it could happen as early as next year. I do a lot of races myself. After Qatar, I couldn’t go to Spa or Imola. And I have two sons who race, so I have to juggle that too… For example, I’m going back to Brazil because I have a race, but then I’ll go to Hungary to see Fernando, Eduardo’s brother. And I haven’t had the chance to talk about this opportunity and this idea, so it’s a good time for me to walk through the garages and talk.<\/p>\n
But, you know, Eduardo manages so well that the best way to get a spot is speed. For example, when you move from Stewart to Ferrari, it’s because they believe in your speed and your ability to win races.<\/p>\n
What Eduardo is doing right now is simply incredible. I am very proud. And I think this will give him the chance to progress and perhaps open the door for us, because obviously I don’t want to hinder his career.<\/p>\n
His brother is very successful in Euro Formula. But today, I am just a visitor who wants to drive with his sons.<\/p>\n
If you were to run one day with your sons, in which category would it be?<\/b><\/p>\n
I think we are ready physically and mentally for all categories. I believe my children are all prepared for this. I’m 53 years old, but I’ve never stopped racing. So I qualified for the world karting championship this year, and I will go to Bahrain at the end of the year. Therefore, I’ve done a lot of racing, even more than when I was in Formula 1. So, I think we are well prepared.<\/p>\n
The only thing is that for the GT3, we need to see the license, because obviously, I am classified as gold, and I have requested a downgrade. They told me that once you are platinum, you remain platinum. From my point of view, you should be classified as bronze once you turn 60. But I don’t know how one becomes silver.<\/p>\n
For me, being demoted would be fantastic because my children have two silver statuses, but I don’t know what they will become in the future, but it doesn’t matter. If we have something really competitive, it won’t matter.<\/p>\n
Le Mans generates a lot of passion, a lot of love. For the people who know me, who know that I love my children, they will certainly understand what I mean when I want to race with them.<\/p>\n
Do you think it’s possible to win Le Mans in GT3 or LMP2 at 55 years old or older?<\/b><\/p>\n
I think so, yes. Especially if we keep running and maintain a competitive level. Eduardo was my teammate in stock car racing last year, you should ask him. He will tell you whether I was competitive or not.<\/p>\n
What is it like for you to see your sons in competition?<\/b><\/p>\n
I am a very proud dad. For me, it’s special to be a coach. I have the pleasure of being their father, being here, experiencing the moment. I am very impressed by how quickly Eduardo has progressed.<\/p>\n
Eduardo told us he was the boss of the motorhome now.<\/b><\/p>\n
Yes, he put me in the smallest room. I could see he was happy because he is finally the boss. He told me, if you want the big room, you have to sleep with me (laughs<\/i>).<\/p>\n
In 2017 you raced at Le Mans. Have you seen a change in the atmosphere?<\/b><\/p>\n
There is an incredible audience. A lot of people come here. It’s nice to see all these people here, who moreover are happy with a big smile on their face.<\/p>\n
What are your memories of this edition?<\/b><\/p>\n
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a competitive car. I was driving a Dallara, and we didn’t qualify well. We had good top speed, but we were at a standstill in the corners.<\/p>\n
As you can imagine, I gave my best and promised myself that I would return in better conditions. But I drive a lot in Brazil…<\/p>\n
Many drivers of your generation have raced for a long time and in a good way, how do you explain this passion?<\/b><\/p>\n
I fell in love with speed at six years old. It’s still in me. Every time I shift into first gear and pull out of the pits, and then throughout the gears, I love what I do so much. When I qualified for the world karting championship and finished P4, a lot of people called me, even Button called me.<\/p>\n
Jensen called me and said, “You’re crazy, man.” Because I was still racing with the boys, not with the Masters. And he said to me, “How can you do that? The other day, I jumped on the kart and felt so bad.”<\/p>\n
Personally, I have more time for myself. Outside of Formula 1, I can obviously be a father. I can be an athlete. I can work for my sponsors. I’m simply in love with speed and, of course, the challenge. I think that each time we learn in life, the difficulty is there for us to improve, not to make us sad.<\/p>\n
A few years ago, you were invited on the show Top Gear. You had beaten the Stig. For some, this might be anecdotal, but many see it as a real challenge.<\/b><\/p>\n
The real story is that I was at Silverstone and I was told to go to this place to take on a challenge for Top Gear. I didn’t even know the show at the time. When they put me in this Suzuki Liana, I just floored it.<\/p>\n
I didn’t know what they expected from me. The Stig came up to me and said, “I adore you” because I was very fast. I beat his time. After that, many people in England knew me because I was a Formula 1 driver and others knew me because I had beaten the Stig.<\/p>\n
After that, it was fun but Nigel Mansell tried, Lewis Hamilton too… And they didn’t beat it. I was proud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Present at Le Mans to support his son, Rubens Barrichello spoke of his pleasure at seeing Eduardo shine with the Racing Spirit of L\u00e9man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":46083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1751,4],"tags":[20,1314,1382],"class_list":["post-31942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-wec","category-wec","tag-24h-du-mans","tag-racing-spirit-of-leman","tag-barrichello"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n