Barrichello laments slow start of season

The Brazilian driver moved to the Japanese squad after six seasons as Michael Schumacher's teammate at the Ferrari team.

Barrichello had problems adapting to Honda and their car, initially struggling for pace, hindered especially by brake problems.

He solved the problems eventually and began to match his teammate Jenson Button's pace, but the Brazilian driver's season has been disappointing nonetheless. He has scored 28 points and has failed to reach the podium.

Barrichello, however, reckons things will be better in 2007, if he manages to rectify some things he believes are wrong.

"Here we do too much PR and we think too little about driving. I'm fighting to change this situation," Barrichello told Autosprint magazine.

"This year I've lost time, with the team, to get used to drive this Honda. In the end, I think Ferrari's traction control was the strongest. It worked really well. The Honda one doesn't work as well and it's on its development that I've worked all year.

"Of course, we've moved in the meantime to the V8 engine and there is also the power at the low-end that is not ok. But this is an extra situation.

"To drive like this, for my style, is really... scary. I had to spend a lot of time on it. Therefore everything I've managed to do this year I consider it good.

"At the beginning of the year I had a problem with the brakes. We could not understand why a brake disc was 100 degrees hotter than the other one. And they didn't want to change the system. Besides, you know, you can't just arrive in a new team and start beating your fists on the table to impose your will. Now that I'm more accustomed, I can do that.

"In my opinion next year will be better. We've yet to understand why sometimes we are in good shape and other times bad. If you don't understand that you don't know how and where to improve."