Barrichello happy at the front

Before leaving Monza, where he has been testing for two days, in preparation for the Italian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello spoke once again about last Sunday's race in Spa. After the race, he returned home to Monaco to, as he put it, "live like a normal person for a couple of days." The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver felt that although the final result at Spa had been good, it had generally been a tough weekend.

"The only time I was really happy with the car was in qualifying, when I think I could have qualified closer to Michael if I had not encountered some traffic," said the Brazilian.

"In the race morning warm-up session, with a few changes to the car, it was not as good and I went into the race slightly in the dark as to what to expect," he continued. "I was hoping for hotter weather which would have suited my tyre choice, but the sun stayed behind the clouds. Then I basically struggled throughout the race to keep up with Michael as I did not find the speed I was hoping for. However, we were still very competitive compared with the others, which is why I still managed to finish second."

With Ferrari taking yet another one-two finish in the last race, Barrichello is aware that some F1 commentators have suggested the Scuderia is removing some of the excitement from the sport. The Brazilian has a typical racing driver's response to that. "For seven years of my career, I was driving in the mid-field with average cars, feeling that other teams were unbeatable," he said. "Right now, we are dominant and I am enjoying being at the front!"

Having had a few hours off after testing, this evening, Rubens will be back at another race track, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari at Imola. "I am attending a dinner with my Italian fan club. The club there is the biggest one I have and it is something I always look forward to."

-ferrari-

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