Barrichello to sit out testing

Rubens Barrichello will sit out Ferrari's test programme this week in order to give time for a back problem to recover. The Brazilian hurt his back at the Hungarian Grand Prix and although he was fit for Monza, he and the team decided it was better to let him have more recuperation time.

"Actually, I decided to stop off in London for some early Christmas shopping!" Barrichello joked about missing testing. "No, the truth of the situation is that my back, which I hurt in Hungary, was much better in Monza. However, along with the team we have taken the decision that it is not worth it for me to risk aggravating my back again, so I will sit out this week's testing."

"I am heading home to Brazil to rest and have some more treatment. It is just a precautionary measure. The team has enough drivers to do the test without me and I don't feel it will affect my prospects for the final two races."

While pleased to back on the podium with his third place finish at Monza, the race itself was less than exciting for Barrichello: "The race for me was a bit boring apart from a few exciting moments towards the end when Kimi was putting me under a bit of pressure and it got a bit harder," he said.

"I had a great first stint, my tyres were working really well and I was able to push hard. But I had lost time with Trulli on the first lap. It was a shame, because with Michael and Montoya running side by side, it would have been a good time to try and get past both of them. But despite that I almost caught Montoya during his first pit stop. Then for the second stint, the tyres did not behave the way I wanted and I basically lost speed because of that."

For Ferrari it was an important weekend; the last couple of races had not worked out too well and the team needed a boost. Michael Schumacher's win and Barrichello's third certainly gave the home crowds, and Ferrari, something to be happy about.

"You could feel there was a lot of tension in the Ferrari camp over the weekend," admitted Barrichello. "So it was good to finish on a high at the home race. Of course it was an excellent result for Michael for the championship."

"For my part, having finished in the wall the last couple of times, it was nice to be back on the podium, after winning there last year. The rest of the championship will be very intense, just as we had expected. Now we just have to concentrate on the last two races and keep on trying."

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