Brawn Steps in to Defend Barrichello

Ross Brawn has attempted to stem the growing criticism of Rubens Barrichello's driving after the Brazilian Grand Prix saw the driver's third controversial incident in three races this year.

Barrichello sent Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen into a spin in Australia and has clashed with Williams driver Ralf Schumacher in the last two races to draw criticism from Gerhard Berger and a call for a race ban from Niki Lauda.

But Brawn, Ferrari's technical director, stood up for his driver as he commented: "Two people go for a corner, and it takes two people to have an incident.

"Ralf has been involved in an incident at every race this year - you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I gather it was just a racing incident."

Barrichello crashed into the back of Schumacher's Williams in the Brazilian Grand Prix and ultimately put both drivers out of the race, while he also clipped the back of Schumacher at the start of the Malaysian Grand Prix and sent his rival into a spin.