Rubens

[BDunnell]

But the argument now is whether he should have kept his place in F1. And I have to say that other than nostalgic/emotional aspects there is no good reason why should RB still be a definite part of F1.

Maybe not a 'definite' part, but the question of whether any replacement could do a better job for Williams is a legitimate one, and I would question whether this will be the case.

[jens]

Maybe not a 'definite' part, but the question of whether any replacement could do a better job for Williams is a legitimate one, and I would question whether this will be the case.

This is certainly a valid point. Although legal issues aside, I would have taken Sutil over Barrichello among conceivable options for Williams.

[DexDexter]

This is certainly a valid point. Although legal issues aside, I would have taken Sutil over Barrichello among conceivable options for Williams.

Let's not overlook the fact that Maldonado did beat Barrichello on many occasion last year. Too many if you ask me.

[steveaki13]

Well, 11 wins certainly means that a driver has had a pretty good F1 career and has been an influential driver for some time. And he had lots of impressive performances too.

But the argument now is whether he should have kept his place in F1. And I have to say that other than nostalgic/emotional aspects there is no good reason why should RB still be a definite part of F1.

In any case, an impressively long career. I have read that his F1 career could have come to an end already in 1996, when he was considering CART, but got an offer from Stewart.

I agree totally, that it was probably time to go, I was just pointing out to a poster above that he did have a good career despite not winning a title.

[The Black Knight]

Personally, I like Barrichello and I'm sad to see that he has gone from F1 without a proper send off that he deserves but, in my opinion, his day hath come and it's time to make way for some young blood. This goes for Trulli as well. He will never be world champion and there is no point in driving around in circles on the grid when there is no hope. Barrichello was a great number two, one of the best number twos the sport has ever seen. Sometimes he even beat Michael Schumacher and, on his day, Barrichello seemed almost insurmountable but he could never hold those levels over the course of a season. If after 19 seasons in F1 you are not champion then odds are you won't be.

Barrichello - a fine driver but lacked that cutting edge to be WDC.

[airshifter]

I'm also sad to see Rubens off the grid. WDC or not, he seems a downright "normal" guy for an F1 driving and not nearly as full of ego as many of them. He's had some great drives over the years and has always played his role properly when he was the obvious #2 driver. And being #2 driver to the fastest guy around at the time isn't such a bad thing, especially when Rubens got the best of him and only the #2 status made him finish second.

As I've said before I hope he enjoys his retirement doing whatever he really enjoys. Being able to sit around and tell the grandchildren stories of the time you had to slow down so that Schumacher could pass is just a giant plus in his retirement years.

[The Black Knight]

I'm also sad to see Rubens off the grid. WDC or not, he seems a downright "normal" guy for an F1 driving and not nearly as full of ego as many of them. He's had some great drives over the years and has always played his role properly when he was the obvious #2 driver. And being #2 driver to the fastest guy around at the time isn't such a bad thing, especially when Rubens got the best of him and only the #2 status made him finish second.

As I've said before I hope he enjoys his retirement doing whatever he really enjoys. Being able to sit around and tell the grandchildren stories of the time you had to slow down so that Schumacher could pass is just a giant plus in his retirement years.

Are you talking about Austria 02 or one particular year in general here?

[Dave B]

Personally, I like Barrichello and I'm sad to see that he has gone from F1 without a proper send off that he deserves but, in my opinion, his day hath come and it's time to make way for some young blood.

Indeed, it's a shame that he didn't announce his retirement and have a proper farewell, especially as his home race would have been his last. Maybe that was his plan: to avoid any unwelcome distractions and to concentrate on his racing.

Either way he should be proud of his F1 career. He was never a superstar but he was highly respected both for his driving and his character, and he will be missed.

[F1boat]

And also his career is not yet over. An Indy 500 or Le Mans triumph might be the fitting end he so desperately wanted.

[Knock-on]

Rubens Barrichello says F1 not a closed chapter for him despite no 2012 deal - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com

Ruby needs to let the idea of F1 go. He's had a good run; the longest in fact. Time to move on.