Zoom Button gained victory with strategy change

Rubens Barrichello on Sunday made clear he is no longer willing to play second fiddle to any teammate.

The Brazilian veteran finished second to Brawn Mercedes teammate Jenson Button in Spain, after the team decided to switch the championship leader to a two stop strategy.

Barrichello, who passed Button at the first corner and led early, remained on his three-stopper. "I had the race in my hands and I was quite surprised when they told me they were switching Jenson to two," the 36-year-old said.

"I would like to understand why they changed that," he added, explaining that his third set of tyres also slowed him down.

For six years at Ferrari, Barrichello was Michael Schumacher's 'number two', ceding to team orders on many occasions, including the infamous radio call of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix.

"If that happens I won't follow any team orders anymore," Barrichello told reporters in Barcelona. "I'm making it clear now so everyone knows."

The intimation is that Brawn deliberately changed Button's strategy to favour the championship leader over Barrichello, but Button denies it is the case.

"We are all here to win, and today it just went my way and it didn't for him," the Briton said. "It could swing around for the next race, that's the way things go in F1."

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International