Q & A with Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello: It feels great. Although you feel some small pressure before, as a racing driver and as a day-by-day positive guy, I don't feel the pressure. I was just driving, but it was very true that as I crossed the line my shoulders just felt like they lost weight.

So, in a way, it feels very, very good. The reception has been great, but I have to keep my feet on the ground and do the best job I can this weekend - and hopefully win it again. But the glamour of winning a grand prix has already gone, now I am back to my job.

Q. If you look back over the season, how crazy has the title fight been?

RB: Well, it is a crazy championship, but it is very, very good for the show. Early on it was already good because we didn't have a McLaren or Ferrari that we normally have, so it's been a totally different championship altogether. Then, all of a sudden Ferrari and McLaren came back, so it's been a good championship. There have been a lot of fights going on, and hopefully we can keep on top of it. This weekend is going to be really nice, and they are expecting rain during the weekend, so it will be a good show.

Q. How would you describe Spa-Francorchamps in three words?

RB: Fantastic. Fantastic. And, fantastic.

Q. We are in the middle of silly-season right now. What can you tell us about your prospects for next year?

RB: Well, in terms of will, I am 100 per cent determined to stay in F1. I showed last year that I didn't want to stop, and I believed that very much. Of course I don't want to be in the situation of last year, where you are waiting so much. Like I said before, I am a guy who knows a lot of people in the paddock and it takes me 15 minutes to get in in the morning and 15 minutes to get out in the evening. I talk to a lot of people, and I love that, and I am talking to all of them. It is 100 per cent that I want to be in F1 next year.

Q. But you don't have a contract with Brawn GP for next year?

RB: Not just yet, no.

Q. So if you could wish for something, what would you be?

RB: My wish is to win this grand prix. F1 is a place where it is not that straightforward sometimes. Things happen and you are only as good as your last race. My last race feels brilliant, so I must use that to my advantage.

Q. Have you ever felt this close to the championship?

RB: Well, it is a good feeling obviously but I am 18 points behind starting this weekend. Eighteen points is still a little bit too much, yes, but it is better than 26 which it was before. I am closing in, and it's a good moment for me. I am driving well, I've been qualifying quite well so we just need to build the best momentum to keep going. You are never close enough until you have really won it.

Q. You took a big chunk of points out of your team-mate in Valencia and now look like his main threat. How do the pair of you manage to work together from now on?

RB: I don't know if it will ever change, I hope not. At the end of the day, we respect each other and he is a great driver. I consider myself to be in good shape as well. I have good respect for him. We are working well together and that is the way it should be. We are not looking like we are going to have a clash on the racing track or anything like this. We just respect each other and may the best man win.

Q. Within the team there has been a lot of talk about tyre warm-up issues, and it seems you have dealt with it better recently than your team-mate...

RB: We seem to have found what was the main problem. Valencia was hot and it helped big time, but the exercise we had there we may be able to use here on a cooler track and it can still be okay. If you remember at the beginning of the year, we had tracks that were cold and there were no problems, so I am looking forward to this one as a good exercise and a good challenge - because the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull will be very fast.

Q. What did you discover?

RB: It is more to do with the mechanical set-up. In order to improve our ride quality we have done some experiments and we found a good solution for the car on both sides - aerodynamically and mechanically.