Ferrari must listen to Rubens Barrichello about what made Ferrari ‘magic’ during Michael Schumacher’s era

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Rubens Barrichello was present throughout the most successful period in Ferrari’s Formula 1 history.

Only a handful of teams have ever achieved what Ferrari did in the early 2000s.

Rubens Barrichello was signed by Ferrari in 2000 to partner Michael Schumacher after Mika Hakkinen won back-to-back titles with McLaren.

He replaced Eddie Irvine after he narrowly missed out on the title the previous season following Schumacher’s leg break, but the Brazilian joined at just the right time as Ferrari’s dominance began.

Schumacher went on to win five consecutive drivers’ championships, the only racer ever to achieve that feat in Formula 1 history.

Although Barrichello only won 11 races for Ferrari during his spell with the team, his contribution was invaluable to their cause in the constructors’ championship, and to back up Schumacher when the likes of David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso were chasing him down.

Schumacher described Barrichello as his best Ferrari teammate, and the Brazilian, who continues to race in Stock Cars in his home country, has explained what made the team so special.

It’s advice that current team principal Fred Vasseur might want to take on board.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Rubens Barrichello describes what made Ferrari so ‘magic’ during his F1 days

Barrichello was talking to the Pit Lane Chronicle and asked about his time in Maranello. He said: “It was magic.

“Ferrari [had spent] 19 years without a win and, all of a sudden, I was part of something magic.

“In my speeches to companies or to people, I tell them, ‘Everything in life, you need really good organisation and a good leader’. A good leader means one that is not going to go there and say, ‘Why didn’t you do this correctly?’ It’s, ‘How can I help you to make your work better?’ That team had that kind of mood.

“They had people doing the right things because they loved what they did. Ross Brawn, he didn’t do too many things – he did one thing properly.

“Jean Todt did one thing properly, the drivers did it properly. The mechanics were where they wanted to be. So, it was a good team in everything that happened.

“The attitude with the aerodynamics, with the wind tunnel and everything, was just getting better. It was a really good team with a really good car.”

READ MORE: Jenson Button believed Rubens Barrichello was the ‘best teammate’ he ever had in one specific area

Fred Vasseur furious about Lewis Hamilton rumour during the 2025 Formula 1 season

When Lewis Hamilton arrived at Ferrari this season from Mercedes, he would have been expecting at least a race-winning car.

The team came so close to winning the constructors’ championship last year, and Charles Leclerc was arguably the most in-form driver on the grid.

However, Hamilton has struggled to adapt, and the most recent Hungarian Grand Prix was the perfect example of the team not quite having what it takes to topple McLaren this season.

Vasseur has been frustrated by rumours surrounding Hamilton, with the seven-time world champion still waiting for his first podium finish.

Barrichello has explained what made Ferrari so successful during his time with the team, and there are aspects that Vasseur is already following.

He appears to be a positive influence around the team, but that’s much harder to maintain when things aren’t going your way on the track.