Jenson Button has explained why he came to understand Michael Schumacher’s desire to have Rubens Barrichello alongside him at Ferrari, highlighting the Brazilian’s exceptional ability to understand, develop and communicate the behaviour of a Formula 1 car. Button experienced those qualities first-hand after becoming Rubens Barrichello’s teammate at Honda and later Brawn GP.
Before joining forces with Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello spent six seasons with Ferrari from 2000 to 2005, sharing the garage with Michael Schumacher throughout that period. The Brazilian contributed to four consecutive Constructors’ Championship triumphs for the Maranello team, while Michael Schumacher won five successive Drivers’ Championships between 2000 and 2004.
Rubens Barrichello’s years alongside Michael Schumacher at Ferrari
Michael Schumacher remained with Ferrari for one further season after Rubens Barrichello’s departure, bringing his first Formula 1 career to an end after the 2006 campaign. Together, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello became one of the defining driver pairings of Ferrari’s most successful modern period, combining outright performance with the technical work that helped the Scuderia dominate Formula 1 in the early 2000s.
Their partnership also included some controversial moments, most famously Ferrari’s team orders at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. However, Jenson Button’s assessment focuses on a very different aspect of Rubens Barrichello’s contribution: the Brazilian’s ability to work closely with engineers and help develop a racing car.
Jenson Button experienced Barrichello’s qualities at Honda and Brawn GP
After leaving Ferrari, Rubens Barrichello moved to Honda for the 2006 season and became Jenson Button’s teammate. The pair remained together through 2008 before continuing their partnership in 2009 with Brawn GP, the team that emerged from Honda’s withdrawal from Formula 1.
That remarkable 2009 campaign ultimately delivered Jenson Button’s first and only Formula 1 World Championship, while Rubens Barrichello remained a significant contender during the season. Rather than remembering their years together primarily as an internal rivalry, Button considers himself fortunate to have worked alongside such an experienced teammate.
The experience also helped the British driver understand why Michael Schumacher had been comfortable continuing his Ferrari partnership with Rubens Barrichello for so many seasons.
Jenson Button: Rubens Barrichello was the best from an engineering perspective
Now an Aston Martin ambassador, 46-year-old Jenson Button discussed Rubens Barrichello’s strengths during an appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast.
“I’ve been asked this question many times: which driver do you think was the best from an engineering point of view? Without a doubt, it was Rubens,” Jenson Button explained. “He was really impressive at working with a team, developing the car, understanding what the car is doing on track and relaying that information, but also understanding what to do with the car, rather than simply leaving the engineer to do his job.”
Button then linked those qualities directly to Rubens Barrichello’s long partnership with Michael Schumacher.
“I understand why Michael wanted him as a teammate for so many years, and I was lucky to have him when we started racing together. I was really able to see abilities in him that I didn’t even know existed.”
Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher spent 102 Grands Prix together as Ferrari teammates, a partnership remembered not only for its success but also for its remarkable longevity and consistency. Their ability to avoid costly clashes was another characteristic of a pairing that became one of Ferrari’s most enduring driver combinations.
Why Rubens Barrichello’s experience mattered to Honda
Jenson Button also believes Rubens Barrichello’s arrival at Honda in 2006 should not simply be interpreted as an attempt to import a winning mentality from Ferrari. In Button’s view, the team already contained hundreds of experienced professionals who were determined to succeed; what Honda lacked was the complete competitive package required to challenge Ferrari and the other leading teams.
“I wouldn’t talk so much about a winning mentality,” Jenson Button explained. “I mean, we all want to win. We’re all doing everything we can to win. These aren’t amateur teams going up against Ferrari. We’re talking about hundreds of people with a lot of experience in the sport.”
“So I think the winning mentality was always there. We simply didn’t have the right package to do it. But I think having feedback from two experienced drivers was really important. And obviously, they were going to listen closely to Rubens, because he came from Ferrari and had worked alongside Michael.”
For Jenson Button, it was therefore Rubens Barrichello’s combination of experience, technical understanding and ability to communicate with engineers that made his arrival particularly valuable. Having previously spent six seasons inside Ferrari alongside Michael Schumacher, the Brazilian brought knowledge from one of the most successful periods in the Scuderia’s Formula 1 history.
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