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Barrichello's Indy 500: The oldest rookie in town

Rubens Barrichello qualified 10th and finished 11th on his Indy 500 debut - his first-ever oval race. Charles Bradley studied his every move, and was impressed with the ex-F1 star's progress

Charles Bradley May 29, 2012, 12:16 PM

"He's the oldest rookie we've ever seen!" Tony Kanaan is in playful mood in the post-Indianapolis 500 press conference, despite the fact that he's just missed out on winning it... again. The target of his ribbing, Rookie of the Year Rubens Barrichello, is grinning right next to him. "I'm sitting here because I'm a rookie," he shoots back. Pointing to his namecard on the desk in front of him, he adds: "I have 'Rubens Barrichello, Rookie'."

Twelve months ago on Memorial Day weekend, the Formula 1 veteran-spec Barrichello was racing to ninth place for Williams around the streets of Monaco, a world far removed from running 220mph around Indy. Now 40 years of age, racing to an 11th place finish at the Brickyard - a venue where his 322 grand prix starts, 11 wins and 68 podiums counted for zilch - left a big impression on Rubens.

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Author Charles Bradley

Charles Bradley is Motorsport.com’s Global Editor in Chief. After spending five years in the aerospace industry in his native North Wales, while working weekends as a freelance writer at racetracks around the UK, Charles joined the staff of Motoring News in the heart of London. He transferred to the nascent Autosport.com team in 2000 before transitioning to the magazine, becoming its Editor between 2011 and 2014. Charles then upped sticks to work in America, as Motorsport.com’s Editor in Chief, where he created the multi-national and multi-lingual editorial team that quickly became the world’s most-read motorsport website. He was instrumental in delivering three of the biggest Global F1 Fan Surveys in sports history and is also a multiple award-winning scriptwriter. Charles is an overseas member of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife Helen – and a cat that’s named after Serbia’s top football club.