Interview: da Matta looks to Barrichello for Guidance

Formula One new boy Cristiano da Matta is hoping for a helping hand from Michael Schumacher's Ferrari teammate before sharing a stage with the World Champion next year.

The Brazilian, who has plenty to get to grips with ahead of his Grand Prix debut in Melbourne in March, says he intends to sound out friend, compatriot and former housemate Rubens Barrichello for advice.

"The thing that I have the most of right now is questions," the 29-year-old newly-crowned CART champion said during his first full test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya after joining Toyota.

"So I have to talk to everybody I can and Rubens has the most experience and is the guy (I know) who understands most about the sport. He is the best guy to ask. He is going to give me honest answers for sure."

Da Matta shared a house in Cambridge, England, with Barrichello along with compatriots Ricardo Rosset and Mario Haberfeld when he was driving in European Formula 3000 and the future Ferrari driver was at Jordan in the mid 1990s.

Frenchman Olivier Panis will be da Matta's teammate after moving from British American Racing, and the Brazilian said that he and the 36-year-old were also gelling well.

"He is very good, a normal nice guy, both feet on the ground. He says to me 'if you have any questions, any problem, anything you want to ask just ask me.' You don't get this from your teammate all the time."

Da Matta joins Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve as former CART champions who have moved from America to the Grand Prix scene. Both have been successful, challenging Schumacher's supremacy and winning races in their first year while Villeneuve won the 1997 World Drivers' Championship title.

But da Matta has no expectation of being a rival for Schumacher in his first year with a team that only made its first Formula One appearance last season. He said he admired the German but the record-breaking five times Champion's formidable reputation did not frighten him.

His own father Tonino, a 14 times Brazilian touring car champion whose own chance of a career move to Europe was dashed when he broke both legs in a crash, had taught him to fear no-one on the racetrack.

"I am scared of nobody on the track," said da Matta. "When I started racing my father told me: 'Cristiano, nobody has three balls but some people have two very good ones'.Nobody makes magic, but if they have the talent and know how to drive and how to put things in place around them then they will do well."

Da Matta had previously voiced doubts about the wisdom of leaving a winning CART team for Formula One. He also said he could have made more money by staying in America. But inevitably the lure of Formula One proved too great and in Barcelona, he said he had made the right choice even though he faced a tough baptism with a new qualifying format to be introduced next year.

"I did have some doubts about coming into F1 because I was in a very good situation in CART," he said. "I was with a team that was going to allow me to win races and fight for championships every year so it was a big decision.

"I knew it was a big opportunity for me to get into F1 but it was not an easy decision as I knew with Toyota next year I probably won't be able to win any races.

"After I made my choice, I didn't have any doubts. It was difficult at the beginning because when the opportunity first came I was still fighting for the CART championship.

"After I won it, I felt 'Okay, now that I have got what I wanted out of here it is time to shift gears and go for some new challenge. I'm 100 percent into this now. There is not even 0.0001 percent of a doubt."

Toyota scored just two points in their debut season and finished 10th overall. New teams have often found their second season even tougher than the first.

"I know I have still got a lot of work and maybe in year two or three I will be able to win races but it is going to take time I am sure," said da Matta. "It won't be frustrating because in my first year I am not expecting to fight for victories.

"I am expecting to start the work and build up on it and maybe score some points next year and build on what the team did this year, improve the performance. Then in 2004 improve even more and who knows fight for more points and podiums and race wins.

"I am already successful in racing, I have won many championships in my life and I come here to try and win another one. All I can do is give my best of everything and if it does not work or I am not good enough then I can go back home and ride my bike, maybe find another series to race.

"But I have a feeling that it is going to work very well."