Rubinho wins from 18th!! Brilliant!!

[Tristan]

...well that should silence some critics: wonderful drive from Rubens to scythe through the field and THEN to drive around the wet/dry circuit on grooved slicks like that. Fantastic! Oh, the tears..........!!!!!!

Well done too to Buttinho, a solid 4th and the Arrows who looked v. strong throughout.

That being said, today was a case of more points needlessly thrown away by the Macs. Mikka pitted too early, DC didn't pit when he should. Stupid.

Diniz showed us the TRUE meaning of "dangerous driving" (a much overused phrase of late) to take off Alesi. RZ did him self no favours, punting off his illustrious teamate and then quietly driving into a wall.

BUT well done Rubinho!!! About time too!!!

[Tristan]

Ooooh! Plus, DESPITE NOT GAINING ANY POINTS FOR THE LAST THREE RACES, this means Schumi still leads the driver's champ and Ferrari still hold the constructor's.

[Liz]

Rubens is brilliant. He lacked confidence and the backing of the team - now he has the first and if TGF keeps smacking up, he will soon enjoy the second.

Rainmeister? I know who my money is on now. Let's see TGF do that on slicks!

[Tristan]

Well, he, err, DID!! Yesterday, actually....... sorry.

But still, point taken, RB had the right car, the right strategy and the right idea (it was HIS OWN IDEA to stay out on slicks, btw)

[EERO]

A very happy victory. IT was a gutsy and measured drive. I think it really was one of the great ones. The way he carved through the field was remarkable-and that tricky drive on dry tires to stay ahead in the wet was pure genius.

He's been looking hangdog lately, this should give him his confidence back and more.

Bravo, Rubens!!!!

[angst]

Definitely an answer to "what is the appeal of F1". It's cheered my day at work up no end. This'll go down as one of the greats. Best drive I've seen since MS at Barcelona'97.

[Liz]

Tristan, I meant for a full race. Incidentally, I believe that Rubens' massive screwup yesterday on wet tires may have been a deciding factor in his stsaying on drys today.
What do you think?

And where would Cranky Mika have finished if he'd started 18th?

18th.

[Tristan]

...although it was only "wet" for the last 10 laps or so. And the "screwup" you referr to was an electrical fault, not a Rubinho fault. By the time he got Schumi's car changed it had started to rain....etc.

But you're right about Mikka. Mclaren's pitstop stratedy today was something to behold n'est-ce que pas? No wonder DC was ****ed!

[angst]

Ross Brawn:"Come in Rubens, we're changing you onto wets"
Rubens:"You can p!$$ off, you're not f-ing this one up for me, I'll take my chances thanks..."

Rubens decides his race strategy?

[Liz]

This is what we are going to see more and more of from Rubens - he's going to trust his own judgment over the obvious intent of his team to rubbish his career and put him under the boot of TGF-what has he got to lose? If he doesn't get any better, at least he will know; if he does, then some of you who believe it's fantasy that his team are cheating him will know.

Either way, it's going to be good for Rubens.

Tristan, I thought he spun off on the wet tires, so my mistake.

[Pamella]

Well, not the result I had hoped for, but what a richly deserved victory for Rubens!
A race won from 18th position; not gifted or inherited, but won.
He wasn’t the only one crying when he stood on the podium.

And what mixed emotions to hear that anthem again.

[downforce]

Am i wrong in thinking RB would have been on the podium, but in third place behind the Macs...if not for the "luni" on the straight??
His own decision?????
...well he told the post-race interviewer Ross Brawn asked him to stay out there and maintain that pace?
...coz Ross knew where Mika was.

[Bononi]

If we make considerations on what influenced the race, that would result in many variables, that happened or not, and so, no race are worth winning for the driver who ends at the first place...
About Ross orders... Rubens said that Ross asked him if he could keep on going, as it could happened to DC, but at last he decided to pit in. So, the driver has to be able to do it so. My point of view

[Ralf's Girl]

And to think that it's almost seven years since the Brazilian national anthem was played. He dedicated the victory to Senna, which was to be expected, I suppose.
But given the fact that for most of the races this season, he's looked like he doesn't really want to be in them, it's a remarkable turnaround.
This race gets my vote for race of the season. Plenty of overtaking, first corner incidents, Alex Wurz surely on his way out (I think his next pitboard may just read P45)...lots of action. But don't even get me started on that idiot Zonta...

[Ed-f1]

He wins from 18th on the grid and people are still suggesting that Ferrari are trying to screw him???? Is there any possible race where people around here will not suggest that Rubens is being screwed by Ferrari?

[angst]

His best race comes when MS is out, the team finally give him some attention during a race. It's no coincidence I don't think.

[Ralf's Girl]

Well yes, if TGF had still been in the race, Rubens would have had to come through the field knowing that what he was there to do would be to shadow Michael and help him in any way possible.

[Red]

I am sure that Ferrari screwed him once again. They forced him to make two stops!! Outrageous! Oh, did you see Jean Todt crying? (frustration I guess)

And Button! He started last! And he needed just a couple more laps to pass DC! Sh***! Next time Jenson! Go for it!

McLaren? Now hold on a second! Mika pitted early and David too late? Oh my god! So the championship contenders rush for wets after the first bucket of water on track? Geez, at the time DC pitted the sun was already shining! Agreed, almost a quarter of the track was still flooded… but the rest was just good for racing.

PS: Schumi on slicks for a whole race… I can’t remember. (Anyway, only a quarter). I remember Monaco ’97 though, when it really poured for the whole race, and Schumi was on intermediates. I guess that will do.

[Jay]

That was absolutely Brilliant!

I honestly have to say that that was one of the best drives I have ever seen. RB is even within a shout of the championship, but of course we know that won't happen this year, unless something happens to TGF.

Diniz makes yet another stupid move. I think that deserves a race suspension, but he probably will not get one. He didn't after Montreal when he drove an Arrows into the wall at 120 mph.

A nice drive from Jensen Button too. Especially after his early troubles.

Heinz-Herald Frentzen also had a good drive from 17th to 3rd, until his car stopped.

Jacques Villeneuve was doing well for a while. He probably would have been fourth had his teammate not given him a spin around.

This is a race that will no doubt go down in history.

[Regs]

Well done by Rubens today! I think he really showed what he's made of, and I'm convinced that he's got the stuff of champions in him. He showed a lot courage and poise and command of his machine. As has been pointed out, I think he answered a lot of questions. The bit with the loon on the track certinly made things interesting, and defintely had an impact on the outcome of things. downforce pointed out it would have been a third for Rubens had it not been for the loon. I think Rubens may still have won though it would have been much closer.

[Ed-f1]

Rubens Barrichello's victory in the German Grand Prix from 18th on the grid means the Brazilian holds the record for the second lowest grid spot for any winner in a Grand Prix.

He would have needed to start on the back of today's grid in order to match the record, held by John Watson, when Ulsterman won from 22nd at the Long Beach Grand Prix in 1983. Watson proved the expert of winning from down the grid as he also holds the third lowest start for a GP winner with 17th at the US Grand Prix the previous year, this time at Detroit.

Barrichello eclipses the lowest winning grid placings of both his former team boss and mentor Jackie Stewart, and his current team-mate Michael Schumacher. The former world champions both won races from 16th on the grid; the Scot triumphed at the South African Grand Prix in 1973, while Schumacher fought his way to victory over Damon Hill in the 1995 Belgian event.

GP WINS FROM LOW GRID POSITIONS

Driver Qual Race Date

John Watson 22nd Long Beach GP 3/27/83

Rubens Barrichello 18th German GP 7/30/00

John Watson 17th Detroit GP 6/06/82

Jackie Stewart 16th South African GP 3/03/73

Michael Schumacher 16th Belgian GP 8/27/95

Alan Jones 14th Austrian GP 8/14/77

Johnny Herbert 14th European GP 9/26/99

Olivier Panis 14th Monaco GP 5/19/96

Alain Prost 13th Mexican GP 6/24/90

Bruce McLaren 13th Argentinian GP 2/07/60

[Minardi fan]

Race of the year, no doubt.

Fantastic performances from so many drivers - Rubens, Frentzen, Button, De La Rosa, Verstappen, Gene, Hakkinen...

Wurz - silly boy. Diniz - I wouldn't recommend doing that again. Schumi - FOOL.

What a race.

[Liz]

Don't anybody tell Alesi who hit him. Murder is bad for the image of F1.

Heidfeld and Trulli are breathing a little easier today knowing that Volcano Man is not after then today ...

Another bottle of tranquilizers for Mr. Prost, please.

[botsquad]

rack it! just an all timer. whoever said german beer and rain don't mix?
and jean a. walked away from a scary off.
good on all the drivers and good on the winner. super rubens.

[Toth]

And if I'm not mistaken Mazzacane did ok too, I saw him in front of some cars every now and then and he wasn't lapped either.
This is the first race in ages after wich I'm happy even though Verstappen and Fisi didn't finish.