Barrichello back in the running for Williams seat
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| Barrichello awaits word |
(GMM) Rubens Barrichello is right back in the frame to retain his race seat at Williams, according to reports.
It had been expected the Brazilian veteran would not get the chance to race a 20th consecutive season in F1 next year as the British team eyed a new teammate – perhaps Adrian Sutil – for Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.
But the Gulf Today newspaper quotes sources close to the 39-year-old as saying from England: "(Barrichello) has come back into the frame and now has a reasonable chance of a Williams drive in 2012."
It has been rumored Barrichello, whose tally well beyond 300 grands prix is an outright F1 record, has managed to amass $5 million in personal sponsorship to offer Williams — about the same potentially brought to the team by German Sutil's backer Medion.
The Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary wrote: "Rubens Barrichello is reportedly right back in contention (for the seat) having been almost counted out at the Brazilian GP in November."
12/29/11 (GMM) Rubens Barrichello has revealed he is still "waiting" to know if he will race a twentieth consecutive formula one season in 2012.
The British team has already confirmed the well-backed Pastor Maldonado for next season but is looking at its options for the other seat, which has been occupied by Brazilian veteran Barrichello for the past two years.
It emerged just before Christmas that Bruno Senna visited Williams' Oxfordshire base, amid rumors Adrian Sutil is perhaps the favorite for the second race seat.
"Just came back from England," Barrichello, 39, said on Twitter two days before Christmas.
"Now some holidays," he added, "and waiting for good news from Williams."
F1's longest-serving driver Barrichello, with a whopping 326 grand prix weekends behind him, also told Brazil's Totalrace: "I have no plans to stop.
"I really want to do twenty years in formula one. Who knows whether a great team will have me and this thing will go on.
"The passion and the desire are still there, now for the rest but one way or another, I will be competing," he added.
12/22/11 Rubens Barrichello has dropped a tantalizing hint that he may yet be retained by the Williams team.
Amid widespread speculation that the Brazilian will be dropped in favor of Force India outcast Adrian Sutil, Barrichello has stepped in to fill the news void by tweeting:
"Just came back from England…now some holidays…and waiting for good news from Williams".