Barrichello reveals Ferrari 'threat' of 2002

May 10 (GMM) Rubens Barrichello has alleged that Ferrari made a threat that might have ended his motor racing career during the infamous 2002 Austrian Grand Prix.
Ten years ago, the Brazilian led the race at the A1-Ring but eventually, at the very last corner, succumbed to team orders that allowed number one teammate Michael Schumacher to pass him.
Subsequent video footage has depicted then Ferrari team boss Jean Todt asking Barrichello on the radio to simply "let Michael pass for the championship, please".
But Barrichello, having left F1 at the end of 2011 for a seat in Indycar, says it was not quite as simple as that.
"It was eight laps of war," he is quoted by Brazil's Globo.
"It's very rare that I lose my temper, but I was screaming on the radio. I kept going right to the end, saying I would not let him pass.
"That's when they said something about something much broader. It was not about the contract.
"I cannot tell you what they said, but it was a form of threat that made me think about re-thinking my life, because the great joy for me was driving," said the 39-year-old.

Lauda tips Schumacher to win in 2012
Ecclestone quotes high price to Magny Cours

Latest news
Aston Martin: CFD data shows rear wing does not hurt F1 rules intent
Aston Martin says simulation data it gave to the FIA proved that its radical rear wing idea did not scupper the intent of Formula 1's 2023 rules to improve racing.
Zhou opens up on abuse ahead of F1 debut: "It hurt quite a bit"
Zhou Guanyu was "quite surprised" by the level of abuse he faced online prior to his Formula 1 debut with Alfa Romeo, saying it "hurt quite a bit."
F1 cannot risk "NFL situation" by not acting on porpoising - Wolff
Toto Wolff believes the FIA cannot risk having an "NFL situation" by ignoring the potential safety issues with porpoising and impact it has on Formula 1 drivers.
Shwartzman “excited” for Ferrari FP1 chances after F1 summer break
Robert Shwartzman says he is “a bit excited” for his Formula 1 race weekend debut with Ferrari later this season when he takes part in two practice sessions.
The returning fan car revolution that could suit F1
Gordon Murray's Brabham BT46B 'fan car' was Formula 1 engineering at perhaps its most outlandish. Now fan technology has been successfully utilised on the McMurtry Speirling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, could it be adopted by grand prix racing once again?
Hamilton's first experience of turning silver into gold
The seven-time F1 champion has been lumbered with a duff car before the 2022 Mercedes. Back in 2009, McLaren’s alchemists transformed the disastrous MP4-24. And now it’s happening again at his current team
Why few would blame Leclerc if he leaves Ferrari in future
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior.
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbon fibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? Pat Symonds considers the alternatives to carbon fibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin F1 move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing.
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles