Australia: Barrichello's Qualifying Q&A

Rubens, fastest lap of qualifying in Q2. Talk us through Q3 and that battle with your teammate?

First of all, I just want to emphasis what Jenson said that it has been a critical three or four months back home waiting for news. I am really happy to be here and I need to congratulate Ross and Nick for doing an outstanding job and everyone who has touched this car needs a credit because it is a really good car, so well done to the boys back in England as well. My car was fantastic on low fuel, it was really, really good and as you could see I put that fastest lap but then in Q3 for some reason I developed some understeer on the car and we tried to move the wings a little bit more to add a little bit more front wing but that car kept going to understeer, so I was very limited but it was difficult although I think the first row for both is a credit and we must be happy.

You just must be so delighted especially as we might call you the veteran of the field?

Well, I feel younger than most of them. I think I have shown there is nothing that is veteran on myself. I speed up, I am always very excited and grateful to have a good car. It has been tough the last few seasons and so it is good to be back in a great car.

And confidence for the race?

Very. I was very confident I could get pole position. On the first two qualifiers it was very, very nice but for some reason I got this odd understeer that slowed me down in Q3. Beside that if anybody a month ago asked me ‘would you give $1,000 to be second in Melbourne' I would have given a little bit more. I have got to be happy for sure.

And again your feelings about the difference in tyres?

Same. We experienced the same feelings during the Friday practice and during this morning, so it is going to be a good first few laps tomorrow plus it is going to be hard to judge when to push hard on the softer tyres as the grain is going to come and everyone is experiencing that and that is a little bit because the track is still not gripping up as much and 5 o'clock is not helping that much either as the temperature of the track is dropping, so everyone is sliding around that much, so there is a problem for everyone in that matter.

The track temperature at 5.45 pm according to the monitors was 30 degrees. What is the ideal temperature for those softer tyres?

Hotter. We needed some hotter temperatures. The tyres seemed to perform better in the 2 o'clock practice this afternoon, better than the evening one. Plus I think it is difficult. The visibility is incredibly difficult at 5 o'clock. It is such a change from the early testing from when you hit the track at 5 o'clock. The first lap feels odd because the shades, the tress and the sun is right in your face, so I think it is going to be a difficult race on that side to.

Last time we had a car as dominant as this was the 2004 Ferrari which you also drove. How would you compare this situation to that one in terms of how you think you will be able to keep your nose in front as the year goes on? And also, do you think that Malaysia will be an even better circuit for this car?

It's a good question. I think that the dominant time that we had at Ferrari, we probably had 20,000 kilometres before coming into the first race. This is very, very different. I had three tests. I have been in the gym every day but even saying that, I don't think we are physically prepared to go flat out from the beginning of the race, just because (driving) the car gives you what you need, neck muscles and things and like that. So three days were very, very good and they prepared us very well, but I'm just saying that compared to those times, it's very, very different.

This car is a wonderful car to drive, well balanced and looking after its tyres, so we have everything that we need to carry on. I was very glad to see Virgin signing with us this morning because it means that we have the attitude in the team to carry on, because that could have been a problem during the year and right now I hope that we have the good guys at home and we just need some more money to develop the car. I think this car will be very, very good for the first four races but we definitely need to have things coming through to keep on going.

With all the rule changes this year, do you think we will see more overtaking, not only in tomorrow's race but throughout the season?

I think so, I think that there are some teams with KERS and some others without it, so you're going to see some overtaking because of that. You might see more overtaking on a proper track, you will see overtaking on this road circuit but it's because of people making mistakes. You always do see overtaking here in Melbourne anyway, with the visibility being a problem and so on, I think the race is going to be quite a good one. Plus, the wings help. They don't fix the problem but the moveable wings help, so that could help overtaking too.

You're a veteran of Formula One, so on the evidence so far, how extraordinary is the performance of this car and the team, and in the circumstances, does it almost defy belief?

As far as I'm concerned, I've had the holidays of my life since '93. I never have had any holidays at all, it was a month at home and then back to work. It was horrible to just sit there and wait for the news, so basically to be here and to drive a wonderful car as it is, is fantastic, but having said that, as a human being you just want more. After I drove the car for the first time and I said it's good, you just want more.

Basically, you want to get qualifying done and you want to win races and so on, so I think we have a good package, especially for the first four races where we have the pace and people are talking about ourselves and they see that we are fast. It's just good to conquer, it's really good to go there and score points and possible wins plus I think the last two seasons have taught us a lot, myself and Jenson. It's been horrible driving a bad car but it's the horrible times that teach you to be better and I think we need to use this as the right time right now.

The best car running KERS is in P7 now. Are you surprised by that or do you have an explanation why it is like that here in Melbourne?

I don't know what to expect. I don't think it's as simple as pushing a button and seeing three tenths everywhere with the same balance that we have. I think it has implications and that there's a good and a bad side.