Formula One news

Barrichello questions Button strategy change

Rubens Barrichello was a clearly downcast man having finished second to Jenson Button in the Spanish Grand Prix. The Brazilian, quickest of the two Brawn GP drivers over the course of the weekend, was leading the race but lost his advantage when a tactical switch by the team saw Jenson Button take the lead through pit stops.

Barrichello, third on the grid in the heavier of the team's two cars, stole the lead from Button at the start before building up a gap. Still ahead after the first round of pit stops, the Brazilian was notified of a change to the strategy of Button, who now had to pit only once more as opposed to the originally planned three-stop strategy adopted for both cars.

Unable to build up enough of a cushion, Barrichello duly lost the lead to his team-mate as the second and third stops of the afternoon commenced. "I had the race in my hands and I was quite surprised when they told me they were switching Jenson to two (stops)," São Paulo's Barrichello said after the race. "I would like to understand why they changed that."

A great start by Barrichello saw the Brazilian take the lead, passing both Vettel and Button

"We were both going in that direction but they switched me to a two-stop just to cover all our bases," race winner Button explained in the post-race press conference. Team owner and principal Ross Brawn also summed up the day's events: ""If you look at the lap times on the tyres and the fuel, there was a period of the race where he (Barrichello) was a lot slower than expected, and that's what cost him the race because Jenson, on more fuel, was quicker.

"You saw at the first corner that there are no team orders - Rubens made a great start and got past Jenson. I'd love to see Rubens win a race and see his crew win a race because it would be great for the team. There is no priority being given; it's natural - any driver who gets beaten and is happy is not a driver I want in the team. The fact that Rubens is unhappy is a healthy sign because I'd feel very strange if he was quite content to be second behind Jenson."

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