Best of the Cahier Archive: Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello, affectionately known as Rubinho, is the the most experienced driver in Formula 1 history, thanks to 322 starts with Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Williams.

The likelable Brazillian made little impact on his debut for Jordan at the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami in 1993, however by the third race he was able to show his talent by running as high as second in the pouring rain, having passed the Williams duo of Hill and Prost. His star was on the rise and strong showings for Jordan cemented his place on the grid.

Barrichello then joined Stewart for 1997, the highlight being an outstanding second place at Monaco. Rubens continued his consistent results during 1998 and 1999 and attracted the attention of Jean Todt. For 2000 he would be a Ferrari driver.

It didn’t take Rubens long to claim his first Grand Prix victory, by winning the Germn Grand Prix in 2000. Despite racking up nine grand prix victories, five years as number two to Michael Schumacher forced Rubens to join Honda in 2006.

The Honda experience was hugely dissapointing, but there was light at the end of the tunnel when the team morphed into Brawn for 2009 and Barrichello found himself on the front row for the season opening Australian Grand Prix. Rubens won twice for Brawn, but it was Button who took the Championship.

Barrichello raced for Williams in 2010 and 2011, but there would be no more podiums.

So now, sadly, it looks like we may have seen the last of this talented and passionate racer on the Formula 1 grid.

This is the latest in our series of  photo specials showcasing the stunning images from the Cahier Archive. The collection, by photographers Bernard Cahier and his son Paul-Henri are part of a massive collection of 400 000 originals of which 17 000+ pictures are currently available on their website.

Images: TheCahierArchive©

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