Ayrton Senna was arguably F1’s best and most loved driver in 1994, which is why his tragic death at that year’s San Marino GP affected the entire community. His countrymen, in particular, were devastated and a young Rubens Barichello, who was just finding his feet in the sport, found it particularly difficult to deal with.
All of a sudden, Barichello had too much pressure on his shoulders, as he revealed on the Beyond the Grid podcast. The host Tom Clarkson quoted former team owner Eddie Jordan’s claim that Barichello had never realized his full potential in F1 because, in the early 90s, his success in the junior Formulas prompted many to think he would go on to win multiple World Championships.
30/7/00 – #GermanGP Rubens Barrichello nails his first F1 win in a very trying race complete with track invasion! pic.twitter.com/FAfFhe6zBk
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 30, 2015
On this, the ex-Ferrari driver simply stated he was grateful for the opportunity to race in F1, which was a childhood dream on its own. Relatively speaking, he achieved a lot more than many would, winning multiple races and podiums late in his career (early and mid-2000s). However, it was his first stint with Jordan, which left him with poor taste.
Brazilian drivers had been passing on the baton in F1 rather smoothly since the 1970s. Emerson Fittipaldi was the torchbearer, after which it got passed down to Nelson Piquet, and then finally Senna. Unfortunately, Barichello never quite got the opportunity to present himself as Senna’s successor.
“Ayrton wasn’t actually going when I came in. So, he left a big hole, a big pressure for the whole Brazil who was used to having this guy winning every weekend,” he said.
Naturally filling in the shoes of one of the most talented drivers in F1 history turned out to be a tough ask, as Barichello failed to get close to what Senna had achieved.
How Barrichello became a wingman in F1
Moving to Ferrari in 2000, Barrichello teamed with Michael Schumacher, who went on to surpass even Senna’s legacy. Schumacher won five titles with Barichello as teammate, adding to the previous two he had won at Benetton.
While Barrichello did get his moments in the sun with race wins and poles, he was nowhere close to Schumacher in the standings in any of the seasons and had to settle for the role of second driver.
Nevertheless, being part of Ferrari’s domination in the early 2000s was a huge honor for him. Despite serving as Schumacher’s wingman, Barrichello never really complained and always did his best to maximize the team’s results.
On top of that, many F1 drivers today would love to have a statistical record like his—11 Grand Prix wins, 14 poles, and 68 podiums in 322 race starts.
