Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and was an unstoppable force in the early 2000s. He created history with Ferrari and overshadowed all his teammates during that period. However, Schumacher’s most famous teammate has to be none other than Rubens Barrichello.
Barrichello was a great F1 driver and a valuable asset for Ferrari. However, the Scuderia only saw him as a number two driver, whose job was to assist Schumacher in winning the drivers’ championship & score enough points to help Ferrari win the constructors’ championship. For the most part, Barrichello seemed happy with this role but in one race, he lost his temper.
Back in the 2002 Austrian GP, Barrichello slowed down on the main straight in the final lap of the race to allow Schumacher to pass and get the race win. It led to one of the most controversial moments in the sport’s history, but there was much more going on behind the scenes.
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Barrichello wanted Michael Schumacher and Ferrari to get in trouble
Schumacher started the 2002 season in tremendous form, winning four out of six races. He was 17 points ahead of second-placed Juan Pablo Montoya in the standings (which was a huge difference from the old points system). However, Barrichello was better than Schumacher at Spielberg that year.
He got the pole position for the race and replicated the good performance in the race. He maintained his lead over the German driver for the majority of the race, but with eight laps to go, Ferrari decided to impose team orders on Barrichello. They asked him to let Schumacher pass, which the Brazilian driver tried to defy.
According to him, he argued on the team radio for eight laps, before finally letting go on the final lap. He later added that the only reason he let go on the final lap was to get Ferrari & Schumacher in trouble.
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Ferrari threatened Barrichello with contract termination
According to Barrichello, as they approached the last lap of the 2002 Austrian GP, the team talked to him about ‘something much broader’. Barrichello did not reveal what they said but mentioned that it was a threat that made him rethink his life.
Barrichello let Schumacher pass on the final stretch. This led to a photo finish that showed the former slowing down, and Ferrari faced severe backlash because of this. The fans and press slandered Ferrari for several months after this controversial ending, and it was exactly what Barrichello planned.
This was his revenge on the team for forcing him to follow team orders when there was no need for his teammate to win that particular race.
