Rubens Barrichello: Michael Schumacher “never supportive, never there to offer help”

🅘Barricജhello was alongside Schumacher during his era of glory at Ferrari when he won five Formula 1 championships in a row.
Barrichello won nine grands prix during those years🌄, and twice finished as runner-up in the F1 standings, but felt the wrath of the legend who w๊as out-racing him.
“I always made friends and I’ve always had a good relationship with all my teammates,” Barrichello said on the ꦛpodcast.
“But he was never supportive.
“He was never there ꦺto offer help, so I nev🏅er asked.
“Michael was different. He was𝐆 a bit naive in the way 𝓡that he worked.
“So many times, we would finish a meeti✨ng and then they would start another one with just Michael there!
“So I took my chair and would just sit there!
“Eventually I felt that the team was his.”

Bernie Ecclestone made claims that Barrichello’s Ferrℱari contract included clause stating he was not allowed to race 🥃his teammate.
But he now says to that he told Ferra🅠ri that he wouldn’t sign if hꦚe had to "let Michael go ahead".
“I didn’t want to sign.🌟 My con💛tract said nothing about that.
"For my benefit, I accepted so many things. There♈ were many things I did not accept, but some I did because I saw I was growing there.
"For six years I saw I was goin🦋g forward and my time was coming.”
Ultimately Ba𓃲rrichello played💃 a role in one of F1’s greatest-ever eras.
“I always say he was better✃ than me,𒀰 no doubt,” he said about Schumacher.
“But because he was already there from ’96, hꦕe had four years, he had gone through the injury, and obviously Jean Toꩲdt considered him like a son.
“So it wa🌜s tough for someone new to come in and say ‘ok give me the freedom'.”

James was a sports jou🅺rnalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to footba𒊎ll, to F1.