Rubens Barrichello has opened up about the close friendship and working relationship he shared with Michael Schumacher during Ferrari’s dominant Formula 1 era, recalling one particularly meaningful sign of respect from the seven-time world champion: when engineers sometimes asked Michael Schumacher for his opinion, he would simply reply, “Rubens decides.”
The Brazilian’s memories offer another glimpse into the partnership that helped define one of the most successful periods in Ferrari history. Although Michael Schumacher was the central figure in the Scuderia’s extraordinary run of championships, Rubens Barrichello remembers a relationship that extended far beyond rivalry between two team-mates competing for results on the track.
Rubens Barrichello returns to the Ferrari F2002 at Monza
Born in São Paulo in 1972, Rubens Barrichello enjoyed one of the longest careers of Formula 1’s modern era. He entered the championship with Jordan in 1993 after impressing in the junior categories and went on to spend 19 seasons in Formula 1, collecting 11 victories and 68 podium finishes.
However, it was his Ferrari chapter from 2000 to 2005 that secured a special place for him in the Scuderia’s history. Rubens Barrichello spent five seasons alongside Michael Schumacher, winning nine races for Ferrari and finishing runner-up in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship on two occasions during the peak of Maranello’s golden era.
One of those victories came at the 2004 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. More than two decades later, Rubens Barrichello renewed that connection with the historic circuit on Saturday, 5 September, when he returned to the track in the Ferrari F2002. It was the car with which the Brazilian claimed four victories during the 2002 season and remains one of the defining symbols of Ferrari’s most dominant Formula 1 period.
Back behind the wheel on the same Monza corners so many years later, Rubens Barrichello reflected on his time with Ferrari, the extraordinary level of integration within the team and his memories of Michael Schumacher both as a colleague and as a friend.
Rubens Barrichello on Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s golden era
What does it feel like to see Michael Schumacher’s seven stars on the SF-26 at Monza, celebrating a history that also involves you?
“It’s a beautiful story. We really did work together in that era to develop the car. We would arrive at Mugello for testing and the engineers would tell us, for example, that they expected us to be 1.8 seconds faster in that session for this or that technical reason. We would go out on track and improve the lap time by exactly 1.8 seconds! There was a really strong connection between the aerodynamics, engine, drivers, chassis and tyres. So it genuinely makes me very happy to see the stars there.”
The seven stars formed part of Ferrari’s tribute to Michael Schumacher at Monza, with the Scuderia also introducing a special Schumacher-inspired livery during the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
More than Ferrari team-mates: Barrichello remembers his friendship with Schumacher
Do you ever find yourself thinking about Michael Schumacher and the professional and personal relationship you had with him?
“It’s hard to think about because, in the end, he was a very important person for us, for all of us at Ferrari, and also for me. Because when I told Mr Todt that I wanted him to give me every chance to race, I wanted to know how good I really was compared with Schumacher. For me, having a team-mate like him alongside me was motivation. He always pushed you to search for your limit and go a little further.”
“But beyond the time on track with Schumacher, I also had some great personal moments, like when we went together to Disneyland in Orlando, Florida. People may think that between us there was only a fight to be the number one driver, but the truth is that we also had a personal friendship.”
“The first time I saw him in person was on the podium at Aida in 1994. I remember him looking at me as if he was thinking, ‘this young guy is quick’, and I definitely believe that when I signed for Ferrari to race alongside him, Michael played an active role in bringing me into the team.”
“Rubens decides”: the Schumacher gesture Barrichello still remembers
Rubens Barrichello also recalled moments behind the scenes that demonstrated the trust Michael Schumacher placed in his judgement while Ferrari was developing the cars that would dominate Formula 1.
“Sometimes Michael would be asked for an opinion by the engineers and he would reply, ‘Rubens decides’. If a champion of that level said something like that, for me it is the best demonstration that I played an active part in Ferrari’s winning era.”
“There were also times when I would go out to eat with some friends while we were travelling around the world, and Michael would come along by himself to eat with us.”
Those memories underline how Rubens Barrichello views his partnership with Michael Schumacher: not simply as a competitive relationship within a dominant Ferrari team, but as a genuine friendship built during an extraordinary period in the Scuderia’s Formula 1 history.
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