Michael Schumacher was a “courageous” driver but also a selfish one, former Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello admits.
The Brazilian partnered the eventual seven-time Formula 1 champion for six years between 2000-2005 and was often known for the support role he played to the German in that time.
Indeed, while Barrichello had his moments, like his first Grand Prix win in Germany in 2000, events like Austria 2002, when he was forced to pull aside for Schumacher, are just as well-known.
And it was that self-serving nature that Rubens highlighted.
“I always made friends and I’ve always had a good relationship with all my teammates,” Barrichello told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.
“I do [include Schumacher on that list], but he was never supportive. He was never there to offer help so I never asked.
“There are teammates that you can go and ask but you could see that he… Michael was different, he was a bit naive in the way that he worked.
“So many times we’d finish a meeting and then they’d start another one with just Michael there so I’d take my chair and would just sit there.
“Eventually I felt that the team was his.”
Also Read:
- Vettel has ‘no problem’ admitting he’s No.2 to Schumacher in Germany
- Jordan: Schumacher politics put Hamilton ‘in a different league’
- Irvine: All teams wanted Schumacher but he only wanted Ferrari
That being said, the 11-time Grand Prix winner does believe he helped Schumacher reach the heights he achieved.
“He was super, super on the high-speed corners, like very courageous,” Barrichello noted. “The way I drove on the low speed [corners], I was taking more speed out of it.
“I remember Ross [Brawn] telling him so many times that he had to do something different but I think we both went to another level pushing each other. It was good.
“And it’s not easy to make Michael Schumacher go a new level.”