Rubens keeps it cool over Brazil

Team-mate Michael Schumacher's dominant victory in Japan last weekend, allied to recent impressive results for Ferrari in testing, has installed Ferrari as clear favourites to round off its season in style with another win.

And although the locals are likely to get fully behind Barrichello in his bid to become the first Brazilian to win his home race since Ayrton Senna in 1993, the man himself is trying to play things down as much as possible.

"I'll take it as just another chance," he said. "You shouldn't look at things as problems but as possibilities. Of course the possibility to win is there and that's what I intend to do, but I'll try to enjoy the weekend with my fans, my home crowd, but keeping the foot down to finally finish the race there and hopefully win it."

Barrichello's retirement from the Japanese Grand Prix, following a collision with David Coulthard, is however likely to ramp up the pressure on the Brazilian to make amends at Interlagos.

But when asked whether his retirement from the Japanese Grand Prix added extra pressure on him to win the Brazilian GP, Barrichello said: "I don't think so.

"In life you tend to get what you deserve, but the Japanese GP was one I was going out to win. I did the best lap and did a very good race but there was one big negative point this weekend and that was the weather.

"From a certain point of view we had to take some gambles and being first on the pre-qualifying certainly didn't help me. I'm not the kind of person that believes in luck or bad luck but in Japan I think something worked against me."