After losing out to Brawn GP team-mate Jenson Button in Barcelona, Rubens Barrichello was left questioning the team's strategy.
Barrichello questions change in strategy
After losing out to Brawn GP team-mate Jenson Button in the Spanish Grand Prix, a stunned Rubens Barrichello was left questioning the team's decision to place the Englishman on a two-stop strategy.
Button extended his championship lead over Barrichello at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya with his fourth victory in five races.
However, after making a storming start from third on the grid, it was the Brazilian who initially looked set to claim his first win since 2004.
Barrichello led comfortably prior to the first set of pit stops, when the team changed its tactics and placed Button on a two stopper.
Still on a three-stop strategy, Barrichello opened up as much as a 13-second lead over his team-mate midway through the race.
But the gap did not compensate for the time needed for extra stop and, with Barrichello also apparently struggling with his tyres in his third stint, it was Button who eventually claimed the win.
The manner Sunday's race played out will inevitably lead to suggestions that Brawn GP are favouring Button over Barrichello, who spent five seasons playing second fiddle to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari.
In the aftermath of the race, Barrichello was at a loss to explain why the team had made the call.
"I can't believe how I lost that," the 36-year-old said. "I'm disappointed I haven't won the race because I thought I had it in the bag today.
"I had the race in my hands and I was quite surprised when they told me they were switching Jenson to two (stops).
"I would like to understand why they changed that."
The team later said they changed Button's strategy in order to get him out after his first stop in clean air behind Nico Rosberg - the Williams driver fuelled long for his own opening stint.
Better strategy
Button was quick to point out that Barrichello had in fact the better strategy for the track and thought that, by switching to two stops, his own chances of victory had gone.
"We were both going in that direction but they switched me to two stops to cover all our bases. Three stops was the quicker strategy, we thought. I wasn't sure about going to two stops because when I put the fuel on board it felt very heavy," he said.
"I didn't think I would come out ahead of Felipe (Massa) and Sebastian (Vettel) but I did. So I put my head down and concentrated on going as fast as possible."
On the thorny subject of the team favouring one driver over another, Button again stressed: "Our strategy said that a three-stop was quicker - full stop. I don't ever want to go down that avenue.
"We both work very closely together within the team, and it's a very good atmosphere in the team. We are all here to win, and today it just went my way and it didn't for him.
"It could swing around for the next race, that's the way things go in F1."
When asked whether team orders had perhaps crossed Barrichello's mind, team boss Ross Brawn replied: "I hope not because we're not (doing that).
"I think you saw at the first corner there are no team orders as Rubens made a great start to get past Jenson.
"I'd love to see Rubens win a race and his crew win a race because it would be great for the team.
"But there's no priority being given."
Orders
Barrichello, who had to hand victory to Schumacher at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix just yards short of the chequered flag, was unequivocal when asked whether he would obey similar orders again.
"If I get a whiff of team orders I will hang up my helmet on the spot," he asserted.
"I'm very experienced and if that happens I won't follow any team orders any more. I'm making it clear now so everybody knows."
Meanwhile, now standing 14 points clear of Barrichello in the title race, Button said of his latest victory: "I'm so happy - once you start winning it is such a great feeling.
"Last year, it felt just the opposite. But when it goes well, it really goes well doesn't it? I'm on top of the world now compared to last year. But I have to say that the whole team did a magnificent job."
