Rubens Goncalves Barrichello - One of the Leaders in F1 Today

Rubens Goncalves Barrichello - One of the Leaders in F1 Today

Born on May 23, 1972 in Brazil, Rubens Goncalves Barrichello is one of today's most well-known Formula 1 racecar drivers. As the son and grandson of two other "Rubens", Barichello was often called "Rubinho" by his family, meaning "little Rubens."

His childhood was spent admiring fast cars, and Rubens quickly took to racing. He was an extremely promising driver in his youth, winning a karting title on five separate occasions in Brazil.

In 1990 at only 18 years of age, Rubens left his small-time racing in Brazil and headed overseas to Europe where he began racing in the Formula Lotus series. Rubens showed tremendous promise in the Lotus series. In fact, his first year was a huge success, winning the championship.

He repeated his winning ways the following year when he took home the championship in the British Formula 3 category. At 19-years-old, Rubens was close to making his move to Formula One, but decided on Formula 3000 instead.

Rubens wouldn't win the Formula 3000 title, but he had a very impressive third place showing that year. In 1993, he promptly joined the Jordan Formula One team for the season.

Barrichello's rookie year was effective given the circumstances. In the third race of the season, the European Grand Prix, he started in 12th place on a wet track and ended up in 2nd before a faulty car halted his progress. The car's reliability was in question all year, and Barrichello rarely finished a race.

The 1994 season started off with a bang as Barrichello finished 4th in Brazil and 3rd at Aida. These finishes put him second in the Drivers' ranking. However, a violent crash that season nearly cut Rubens' entire career short, when he was knocked unconscious and nearly killed at San Marino Grand Prix.

Two days later, Rubens' mentor, Ayrton Senna, died in a race, further dampening Barrichello's spirits. Despite the set backs, he continued to race and finished the year strong, even becoming the youngest driver in history to secure a Pole Position.

1995 would bring a year of similar good fortune. Barrichello finished 2nd in Montreal as a highlight, and in 1996, with a maturing engine and a revamped fiscal situation courtesy of Benson & Hedges, Barrichello was once again a contender in the early goings.

He would later find that his car wasn't much of a contender, and Rubens left Eddie Jordan's team in 1997. With team Stewart in 1997, Rubens only finished 3 races all year. His biggest highlight was a 2nd place finish in Monaco.

Rubens continued to perform far greater than the equipment he used with Stewart during the following seasons. Rubens took three podium spots in 1999, and consistently came ahead of teammate Jan Magnussen.

As the year 2000 rolled in, Ferrari signed the young driver and Rubens' driving had become something to admire. He secured four victories during his time with Ferrari, and finished second in points in his best season. Barrichello now drives for Honda, and is still considered one of the better drivers in the F1 series.