Rubens Barrichello admits Honda had some hard lessons to learn over the course of the 2007
Formula 1 season, but he is confident the Japanese outfit has come out of the débâcle stronger for the experience and ready to fight back in 2008.
The big-budget, Brackley-based squad registered a mere six points in the top flight last year, as the RA107 proved to be not only difficult to drive for Barrichello and team-mate
Jenson Button, but also woefully off the pace. Worse still, the campaign marked the first time in the Brazilian's 15-year grand prix career that he had failed to score so much as a single point – and the last, he hopes.
“It was a terrible year,” he reflected, “but I was at peace with myself. I didn't score points because of small, silly mistakes during the year. It was much more difficult to score in the Jordan in '93 [his first year in F1], but I did and points were only given to the top six back then. We all learned some quite difficult lessons and knew everything had to change a bit.”
That, alongside the arrival of both Ross Brawn – a man with whom Barrichello worked closely at
Ferrari from 2000 to 2005 – in the role of team principal and Alex Wurz on the test driving front, has given the 35-year-old well-founded optimism for the challenge that lies ahead – that of re-establishing
Honda's Formula 1 credibility. There may be pressure, he acknowledged, but that's nothing he isn't able to cope with.
“I've always done quite well under pressure,” he asserted, “and I think – I know – this year is going to be very positive. I can see how the group is working together. Last year we had the problem where everything that came to the car didn't provide the results that the wind tunnel was giving.
“The weight distribution under braking was terrible; it was like someone sitting on the nose of the car and putting lots of front wings down when you braked. It was a terrible feeling, but this new car doesn't have that and that's a lot better.
