Rubens Barrichello’s name is no stranger to any true racing fan.  Chants of Rubinho (Portuguese for “little Rubens”) would fill the grandstands of any Formula One race by travelling Brazilians and local fans.  The São Paulo, Brazilian born race car driver has been around the block a few times after a successful 19-year Formula One career amassing 11 victories with the likes of Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Brawn, and Williams to name a few of his teams.  He is the most experienced Formula One driver of all-time, a record of 322 starts that will be hard to break.

After his contract was not picked up by Williams after the 2011 season, the 40-year-old Barrichello agreed to a couple track-testing invites by long-time best friend Tony Kanaan of IndyCar’s KV Racing team.  Barrichello fell in love with the car, which led to many discussions and eventually signing on to be a full-time KV Racing driver alongside Kanaan and Venezuelan E.J. Viso – instantly becoming the oldest rookie in the field.

With nine out of the sixteen races complete and Barrichello sitting in 15th place in the driver’s championship standings, we felt that the Honda Indy Toronto would be a great opportunity to sit down and chat with Rubinho on his first visit to Toronto to see if he’s enjoying his stay in IndyCar and whether it was more of a challenge than expected.  

“An IndyCar is a different animal to drive than a Formula One car.  It’s very competitive and it’s taken me a little longer to learn than I originally thought,” says Barrichello. “I’m still not 100% familiar with everything, but I’m very open-minded and willing to learn and I see improvements with every race.”

Every race car driver wants to win, but Barrichello understands that as a rookie learning each new track takes time and he has yet to find the perfect car set-up that can adapt to his smooth style of driving.  “The IndyCar steering wheel is very heavy. As a smooth driver, it’s been very tough to introduce my style of driving to a tough steering wheel,” explains Barrichello.  

Barrichello’s teammate Kanaan has been there for him throughout the year assisting in any way he can from ovals to single and double-file restarts that occur during a race following a caution.  Both Kanaan and Barrichello share similar histories in the world of racing with Kanaan taking 15 checkered flags in a 16-year professional career previously in the now defunct Champ Car Series and the current IndyCar Series.  

Barrichello might be facing some challenges on the track, but socially he’s having the time of his life being re-united with Kanaan, who he calls his brother. “Life is good!” Barrichello says with a smile.  “Tony and I are enjoying our motor homes and spending time with our family and friends.”

In addition to his exciting new social life, Barrichello is enjoying the interaction he’s having with IndyCar fans compared to the more restricted ways of Formula One.  At every race, IndyCar fans are able to meet their favourite drivers at scheduled autograph sessions and he’s having a lot of fun with it.  He tells us that he loves when the fans cheer for him, because it gives you a celebrated feeling and provides that extra incentive to push harder.

Barrichello has been around for many changes in the sport of racing including KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and DRS (Drag Reduction System) both recently brought into Formula One, so the IndyCar addition of push-to-pass to the Honda Indy Toronto and for the rest of the year doesn’t faze him at all.  “As long as any change is not artificial, it will be good for the show,” he said. 

Half-way through the year goals can change, but Barrichello feels hopeful that his determination and focus can guide him to a top-ten finish in the driver’s standings.  Barrichello strongly believes in learning from his own mistakes and improving from them whether that’s on the race track or off. “There will always be difficult times in life, but it’s our job to improve as a person and as a professional.” says Barrichello.  He goes on to state that over 100 people told him that he made a big mistake in his first race victory for Ferrari at the 2000 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim by going with his instincts and staying on track with his slick tires while everyone else ducked into the pits for wets.  Somehow Barrichello came out victorious, but learned a lot from that race. However, it’s safe to say now that Barrichello’s judgement at Hockenheim was clearly not a mistake.  

The future is open for Barrichello, but for now he’s enjoying life and soaking in any information he can to better himself in IndyCar.  Change is always tough, especially after 19 successful seasons, but it’s possible that Barrichello might have to slightly change his style to adapt to the tough steering wheels of IndyCar. The Honda Indy Toronto goes off at 12:30 EST today and Barrichello is hopeful that his first visit to Toronto will provide a podium result which he deeply desires.