San Marino: Barrichello hoping to bounce back

By Phil Huff
April 20 2006

Honda Racing F1's Rubens Barrichello arrives in San Marino in an optimistic mood, with changes made to his Honda RA106 expected to improve performance.

"Our difficulties during the last race in Australia have made us work even harder in testing over the last couple of weeks," explains Barrichello. "There is a good feeling that we have made some solid progress."

"The whole team feels positive about this weekend and I share those feelings so we're hoping for a competitive race."

Rubens has had a mixed time at San Marino, with three podium finishes but no win. His best finish was in 2002 while driving for Ferrari, securing second place from second on the grid.

"The Imola circuit is a good one for the drivers," comments the Brazilian. "I really like the layout and the challenge of setting up the car which is not easy.

"Imola has had its ups and downs for me; I have had a lot of support from the fans there in the past but there are also some very sad memories."