Caterham’s failure to make it to Austin ended the possibility of a surprise comeback for Rubens Barrichello.
The 42-year-old has made no secret of the fact that he would like to race an F1 car again, and has always been frustrated that he did not have a proper farewell race at his home event. Since his last F1 race he has remained active in Brazilian stock cars and karting.
Encouraged by support from the Brazilian GP promoter Colin Kolles had been working for several months to put together a deal that would have seen Rubens replacing Kamui Kobayashi for the last three Grands Prix of the season.
“We would have run Barrichello in the last three races,” a team source told this writer. “We had sponsorship for this, and everything was going the right way. It would have been fantastic for F1.”
Speaking exclusively about the plan, Rubens told this writer: “It would have been great to race in front of my people once again and say goodbye properly.”
Mario Andretti suggested last weekend that guest appearances by drivers from other areas of the sport would be a great promotional tool for F1.
Adam Cooper F1 
I’m glad for F1 it did not happen. My grandfather would be faster
What a way to bow out of the sport! Become a pay driver…
And Mario, we see enough of the used-to-be’s trotted out every Indy. Even once a year is once too often.
I think this is a bit unkind of you.
Why begrudge Rubens the opportunity to consciously bid farewell to the F1 circus, even a few years after-the-fact? His departure obviously is not something he’s at peace with, and I can understand the desire of a sportsman to experience the goodbye knowing that he wasn’t coming back.
Rubens is every bit a human being with emotions and feelings as anyone else and it shouldn’t be that hard to put yourself in his shoes and empathize. Oh wait – there’s an epidemic of empathy disorder online…
And if I’m wrong and Rubens was really motivated by one last F1 payday or something else ugly and cynical…well, would that be any more surprising than his wanting to do it out of normal messed-up pro sportsman human emotion? It freaking sucks going from competing internationally in a sport to not being an active elite-level competitor anymore, regardless of whether it’s Tour de France stuff, F1, of third-division pro cycling or soccer.
Rubens presumably has banked some good $$ and is ok financially…so perhaps one can look at this and see it as another example of money not being a substitute for personal emotional well-being and achieving a sense of closure and tranquility.
That it won’t happen now doesn’t change this and it’s still surprising that you’d scorn another human being for trying to make something happen that presumably would be good for their well-being.
Now if you’d argued that it was incredibly cynical and hypocritical for Rubens to try to steal Kamui’s seat from him, then that would be something I could get behind lol.
Hmmm, guess even the executives from the Brazilian TV channel he was milking feel better too now that the his ‘work’ motive’s been exposed
I believe it’s more unkind to shove out a young F1 driver fighting to stay in the sport just so you can wave bye bye in your home town. Kobayashi is trying to accomplish something for his well-being too. I’m sure he’d gladly hand over the three races in a crappy Caterham for the 5+ seasons Barrichello had in the best car in the field. Rubens had more time in the sport than most drivers ever did. It’s over.
All in all, Caterham management is looking pretty awful this season. What a colossal farce. Tony Fernandes made a real mess.
Hear hear, Mark.
interesting story!
Reblogged this on bobespirit2112 and commented:
It was a real shame that Williams didn’t inform Rubens he wouldn’t be resigned prior to the 2011 Brazilian GP so he could have had a proper home goodbye. I don’t think driving a Caterham around 4 secs a lap off the leaders would suit Rubens legacy, as he was always one of the top, fast drivers and it just wouldn’t be becoming for him to have done this, in my opinion. I’m glad it didn’t happen. Now, if we could just get Rubens back in an Indycar, that’d be nice.
Indycar? Indycar?? I seem to remember a once great racing series by that name. Are they still in existence? (all stated with tongue firmly in cheek)
They are George.
Seems some people seem to think they need seat filler’s rather more then they need racing drivers (tongue likewise placed).
For a guy who lives in the Indy area, grew up a mile from Speedway and has enjoyed Indycars since the 1960’s, that hurts! LOL! Yes, it’s sad what has happened since 1995, but the racing is still excellent. If more people would simply tune in, they’d stay because NECKCAR can’t compete with the excitement of most Indycar races.