Barrichello: motivated

Give him the right equipment and he can win races, so Rubens is not going to be the reason why we don't succeed.

Ross Brawn on Rubens Barrichello
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• Honda

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• Rubens Barrichello

Honda remain adamant that Rubens Barrichello is the right man to race alongside Jenson Button in 2008.

The Brazilian veteran did not score a point in 2007, yet the Japanese marque have remained faithful to the former Ferrari man.

Honda's Chief Executive Officer Nick Fry claims Barrichello is still sharp enough to race for the team, despite speculation that the 35-year-old would be dropped in favour of a younger driver.

Fry also predicted that Barrichello's desire will be fired by the presence of new team principal Ross Brawn - the two reuniting following their time together at Maranello.

He told Autosport: "This year was difficult for him, but he is looking incredibly slim. He is obviously training extremely hard and he has got someone in Ross who he has worked with before and knows what he is capable of. That has really motivated him."

Fry further explained that the truly woeful RA107 made matters worse for Barrichello, as he was used to racing a car at the front of the pack.

He said: "For someone who has been in F1 at a top team like Ferrari for a long time, when he ended up with a weak car then motivation does get more difficult.

"A young person who doesn't know what to expect or what he should be getting is able to keep going a bit longer.

"But both drivers worked hard and Rubens has got the speed. This year, especially early on, he was nip and tuck with Jenson. And he has been training incredibly hard.

"He has promised me for next year that he is going to: 'drive his balls off!'"

Pedigree

Meanwhile, Brawn believes that Barrichello has the pedigree to help the team achieve their ambitions.

"I'm very happy with the two drivers we've got and I've got no concerns with them in terms of achieving our objectives," he said.

"I know Rubens very well and he was always able to push Michael (Schumacher) - to the point where we had to hold him back sometimes, as you will recall!

"Give him the right equipment and he can win races, so Rubens is not going to be the reason why we don't succeed."