Former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello knows only too well that driving for the great Italian team is a double-edged sword. One side is the massive prestige of racing for the Reds, but the other is the huge pressure cauldron that comes with working at Maranello.
Barrichello, who made 102 starts for Ferrari, drove for the team during its golden era alongside teammate Michael Schumacher, helping them to five Formula 1 Constructors' titles in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
These days, with seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc leading the charge, expectations are invariably high. The Tifosi have not seen a title since Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa delivered for them in 2008. The Finn was Ferrari’s last F1 Drivers' World Champion back in 2007.
Ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, Barrichello weighed in on his former team’s below-par form:
"I can say from my time at Ferrari, mentally, it's the toughest team to drive for. Because you have Tifosi who support you, but it does feel like the pressure is on you all the time.
"I can say from my time at Ferrari, mentally, it's the toughest team to drive for. Because you have Tifosi who support you, but it does feel like the pressure is on you all the time.
"Lewis Hamilton already has that pressure because he's someone everyone follows anyway, everyone knows who Sir Lewis is. It's a lot of pressure, it's not easy in Italy, it's a lot of mental ability for sure.
"Nowadays, I still go to Fiorano to eat at the Montana restaurant where I spent six years of my life. It's just amazing, people act like I was racing yesterday, so imagine what it's like for the current Ferrari drivers.
"The pressure of racing for Ferrari comes from the outside, but on the inside, if you spend time at the Fiorano factory, working with the engineers and analysts, the facilities are amazing. There are plenty of things to do, and it's fun and amazing," added the Brazilian.
As for the $100-million question everyone is asking: can Hamilton win an unprecedented eighth F1 title in this final chapter of a remarkable career? Barrichello ventured: "I'm 52 years old now, I don't have the same physical condition I had when I was 40.
"But my mental health and the way I've learned that we're not here to just live, but to learn, teach and live life to the fullest, I am much better in my mind management now than when I was 40. If you see the physical condition of Lewis, it is superb.
"Can Hamilton wait five years for Ferrari to become competitive? For sure, there is no lack of talent," declared Barrichello, an 11-time Grand Prix winner, nine times with Ferrari and twice with Brawn GP.
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