Grapevine: News from the Paddock - Brazilian GP

Football Game

Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, both hoping to round off Ferrari's title-winning season in style with victory in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, enjoyed celebratory hugs even before the track action got underway. The pair both played in a charity soccer match on Wednesday for a team named 'Crianca Esperanca' - translated to mean Children Hope, an organisation of the O Globo media group which benefits poor youngsters in Brazil - against Brazilian side Palmeiras.

Schumacher slotted home a penalty and Barrichello was also on the scoresheet in a charity team also included Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella. Barrichello, however, was bigging up his own strike rather than that of his soccer-loving team-mate Schumacher. "I scored a goal and Michael scored on a penalty, which is quite different," he said. "You know with the penalty you just choose one side and then you let it go. Now they're saying that I was offside and so on. It's a bit of a thing that happens sometimes when you're a good player and you score well, it happens in Brazil."

The Party's Started

Formula One's end of season bash in Brazil got underway in earnest on Thursday evening as the first of the parties in Sao Paulo kicked into action. BAR, having been unable to celebrate their 100th Grand Prix start in Japan due to a rude interruption by Typhoon Ma-on, were the hosts of the opening party for media and the alcohol flowed Brazilian style. Caipirinhas were drunk aplenty in the splendid surroundings at the Hotel Unique, where 50-foot high doors are the norm, at the annual 'Lucky Tribe End of Season Party', with team principal David Richards, technical director Geoff Willis, driver Jenson Button and Brazilian test driver Enrique Bernoldi all in attendance with Scotland's superstar DJ Stuart Duncan pumping out the tunes. The usual fun and frolics were had during the 'Collect or Gamble Predictor Game', with LAT photographer Lorenzo Bellanca the eventual winner of a Honda scooter. AtlasF1's very own socialite will bring further party news in due course...

Australian Invasion

Mark Webber may have been forgiven for thinking his fellow Australians had come to Brazil to cheer him on his final race for Jaguar. But the truth behind a mini-invasion of youngster clad in golden tracksuits with Australia written on the back had nothing to do with the weekend's Formula One action at Interlagos. Instead, a party of around 25 Australians arriving in Sao Paulo on Thursday morning had another sport on their mind - diving. They were the Australian junior team heading for the 15th World Junior Diving Championship being held in Belem in Brazil with the competition getting underway on Tuesday. All that waits to be seen now is whether an Australian will triumph in Brazil.