The unexpected story: Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, and... a fart box prank in F1 briefings

The unexpected story: Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, and… a fart box prank in F1 briefings. Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, and a fart machine: a funny story recalled by former Ferrari driver.

Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, and a fart machine: here is a new F1 anecdote to add to the collection.

The time when Rubens Barrichello placed a fart box under Michael Schumacher’s chair during a Formula 1 briefing. The Brazilian driver shared this amusing story during the “Flow Podcast.” Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher’s teammate at Ferrari from 2000 to 2005, admitted that he always wanted to present an image of great sobriety to his son but had a lot of fun during his years as a driver.

Sometimes it’s challenging to transpose the Formula 1 heroes into the real world. They are imagined as icy tamers of mechanical monsters, constantly pushing the limits of human capabilities, battling the ever-present danger around the corner. The truth is quite different, often hiding entirely human and even “childish” personalities.

“Once I bought a fart machine,” recounts Rubens Barrichello, a winner of 11 Formula 1 Grand Prix races. “I placed it under Michael Schumacher’s chair during a briefing. That was my level! It was a small thing, the size of a phone, emitting a sequence of farts. Sebastian Vettel liked it a lot; he still talks about that gadget!” – the former Ferrari driver recalled.

Even Michael Schumacher knew how to have fun. “We were at a party; I was talking to Andy Priaulx,” recalls Jason Plato, a legend of British Touring Car Racing, on “The Late Brake Show.” “At one point, he tells me to keep an eye on [Michael Schumacher], who had a peculiar look. After a while, out of nowhere, Michael puts his hands in my pants pocket and rips off one leg!”

The evening continued with Michael Schumacher using Plato’s pants as a bandana, and the entire room ended up tearing their clothes off. An anecdote that would be enough to remind everyone that these guys, after all, aren’t that different from us.

Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari