Australia: Barrichello: We can win in Melbourne

"It's a very solid car, a brand new machine, with a very reliable and powerful Mercedes engine," explained Barrichello to Marca, "so it's not crazy [to think of winning]. I've been waiting a long time to find a team that can give me the same set-up as Ferrari, but without having to drive for Schumacher."

Life has been made easier by McLaren's apparent drop in pace, although the Mercedes partner team will be working hard to recover lost ground. Barrichello feels it will take "three or four races" for McLaren to recover, helped by a new diffuser.

The diffuser row threatens to overshadow the opening Grand Prix weekend, with the Brawn GP car being officially protested, but Barrichello isn't concerned.

"I wasn't bothered by the fact that everyone took for granted that [Bruno] Senna was replacing me, so do you think I'm bothered by the fact that my car is different from the others?" asked Rubens in Gazzetta dello Sport. "We've read the rule book differently, and the result of that can be seen by everyone."