Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Barrichello: No points raises pressure

Rubens Barrichello believes the lack of point-scoring finishes this season has put his Williams team under pressure

The Grove-based squad is enduring its worst ever start to a season, having failed to score any points in the first four races of the year.

Barrichello feels it is vital for the team to start scoring in order to reduce the pressure and also to motivate team members and sponsors.

"There is a point that we are missing, which is scoring points on the racing track," said Barrichello on Thursday in Barcelona.

"That's what motivates people, that's what motivates drivers, and motivates the sponsors to keep paying the bills and so on.

"Right now there's a bit too much pressure on all of us because of not having scored point. If that thing worked we might be able to help ourselves."

He is convinced Williams will score points eventually, but he admitted the goals set for the season are too far at the moment.

"I don't fear that Williams cannot score points," he said. "We are going to be there and we are going to do it. What scares me the most is that we had plans to win races this year.

"And those plans are too far away. That's more of a concern. You need to motivate the whole lot, not just the drivers. People are doing what it takes, but the car was a step backwards at the beginning of the year to the talking that we had at the end of last year."

The Brazilian says he is pleased with the pace the team is bringing new updates, but laments that some of them are simply not working and are making them lose time.

"Right now we need to improve on those updates coming to the track," he said. "They are coming quite quickly but not all of them are working. The sign-off of things has to be better. Right now we are just rushing things.

"On paper the car is at least a second faster than it is since the launch at the beginning of the year. But the car is not a second faster, so that's where the problem starts right now."

Barrichello also admitted he is not sure about the changes and the direction needed to return to the sharp end of the grid, and reckons the team will have to wait to see what Mike Coughlan can bring to the outfit.

"We need to see what Mike brings to the team and see where we go from there. Right now it's very difficult to point it out. There's a lot of talking. I'm spending the week talking about this more than about the actual car. We have to wait and see what else they are planning."

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Sutil focused on on-track efforts
Next article Alonso 'privileged' to be at Ferrari

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe