Rubens Barrichello has said he will be in celebratory mood for the next few grands prix as he approaches his record-breaking start in the top flight this weekend in Istanbul, insisting ‘the day I retire is still a long way off'.
Barrichello will be making his 257th
Formula 1 start on Sunday, having made his debut in the uppermost echelon in South Africa all the way back at the beginning of 1993. Though there has been some confusion as to exactly when the experienced Brazilian is set to pass Riccardo Patrese's long-held marker of 256, he himself has chosen to celebrate the milestone in Turkey.
“There are many alternatives,” he admitted, speaking to
Motorsport Magazin adrivo.com, “but I have decided that this will indeed be my 257th appearance on the grid. If anyone has any objections, they're invited to join me in celebrating the next two or three races after that. That's the way we Brazilians do things.
“When I'm behind the wheel, it's just a normal race weekend like any other. I'm not dwelling on all the things that have happened in the intervening years. I might have been a bit more sentimental if this were my last race, but the day I retire is still a long way off.”
Looking ahead to the remainder of the weekend – having lapped respectively eighth, 15th and 14th–quickest in the three practice sessions – the 36-year-old added that he was in confident spirits, and hopeful of adding to
Honda's debut points of the 2008 campaign, registered courtesy of team-mate
Jenson Button last time out in Barcelona. Barrichello unofficially scored in the curtain-raising race in Melbourne – incredibly his first points' finish in a barren 18-race run – but was subsequently stripped of his seventh place for having exited the pit-lane under a red light.
“The car was nicely-balanced in the morning,” the man from São Paolo reflected of Friday practice, “and we were pleased with our progress. However we made a mechanical change over lunch which changed the balance.
