Barrichello Calls for Montreal Changes

Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello has called for part of the final chicane at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to be replaced with a wall following his third place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Barrichello challenged McLaren's David Coulthard for second place late in the race and the two drove straight across the chicane after vying for position.

Drivers had failed to slow sufficiently to take the chicane correctly throughout the weekend and Barrichello believes that the turn should be modified and replaced with a wall to avoid similar incidents in future events at the track.

"I just think it is a corner that should be modified because it is the only place you can overtake on the circuit," Barrichello said after the race. "If I had in my mind the feeling that I just push and I go straight and see what happens then I would have pushed him (Coulthard) with me, I am sure, because he was willing to do that with me.

"So when I saw the car going a little faster I had to just let it go a little bit more and just see if I could be in a position to block him. Obviously at that point you can see on the data that I was completely on the brakes and I let it go and braked again, so obviously I didn't make the thing, so it is within the rules to say that both crossed the thing.

"But if the chicane is used like that then everyone is going to cross it. It is very dirty, people touch the grass, they are always so close and there is no point in it. They should change the corner completely."

Coulthard admitted that he was willing to let Barrichello past him into second place if the Brazilian had successfully negotiated the chicane, but was informed by his McLaren team that both had cut the corner.

Coulthard said of the incident: "(Takuma) Sato didn't move over, held me up at the hairpin and so I was slow coming out and that gave Rubens a run on me.

"I used the slipstream of Sato and then had to move out and you are always uncomfortable to think there is going to be three cars abreast. But obviously Rubens had enough space and we ran side by side into the corner, I tried to brake as late as I could, realised I was not going to make the corner and came out thinking that Rubens had.

"I went onto the radio to ask 'do I have to let Rubens through because I have gained an advantage by not making the chicane'. They told me he hadn't made the chicane either so that's it, game over."