'Difficult moment' leaves F1 without an Italian
Feb.18 (GMM) Rubens Barrichello on Saturday said it is "sad" another established Formula One veteran, Jarno Trulli, has lost his race seat.
After 19 consecutive seasons, Barrichello is poised to switch to Indycar in 2012, while Trulli - who made his debut in 1997 and is a Monaco Grand Prix winner - has lost his seat to Vitaly Petrov.
"Money is dominating everything," said Barrichello, with Caterham even admitting that the "global economic market" influenced the decision to replace Trulli with the well-backed Russian.
And with F1 now not boasting an Italian driver for the first time since the end of the 60s, Trulli lamented that no one is poised to succeed him.
"During a crisis as we have in our country, I can't see how a youngster can find the help needed to be considered by any team," he told the Ansa news agency.
"I knew of the difficult economic situation that would force the (Caterham) team to look for a driver with adequate backing," added the 37-year-old.
Money is dominating everything
Also lamenting the new dearth of Italian drivers, Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali admitted: "It's a difficult moment for our sport, partly for external reasons."
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said former Lotus driver Petrov is bringing a "double digit" sum in the millions to Caterham for Trulli's 2012 seat.
Share Or Save This Story
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
How does Fernando Alonso's winless streak rank in F1 history?
The sweet-handling Toyota epilogue to its F1 adventure
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Why Charles Leclerc failed to outbrake Max Verstappen in Turn 1 at Singapore GP
'Senior moment' or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton's Singapore GP meltdown
WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel
Brennan Poole to leave Alpha Prime Racing; team owners 'disappointed' to see him go
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Winners and losers from NASCAR Cup at Charlotte after dramatic finish
'Senior moment' or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton's Singapore GP meltdown
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Singapore GP sprint and qualifying
How Honda plans a return to being an F1 powerhouse
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments