Burning Rubber: Barrichello must get his time in the sun.

Byline: Ted Macauley, Special to Gulf News

The oft debated, but never admitted, greater preference for one driver over another in a Grand Prix team has again reared its ugly head in Formula One.

This time it concerns new entry Brawn GP and drivers Jenson Button, the title pacemaker and Rubens Barrichello, his closest challenger 18 points adrift.

Across the years the contentious issue of one man being favoured for whatever reason over a team partner, which is against both the rules and the spirit of the sport, has triggered bitter upsets.

Barrichello, by far the most amenable and pleasant man in F1, was the scapegoat at Jordan and then Ferrari in Michael Schumacher's shadow, and, I gather, ordered to play second fiddle when he had a good chance of a better result.

I suspect he feared he was to be cast as the underdog again with Button's title take-over for Brawn until his uncharacteristically outspoken protest appeared to have cleared up the confusion and stirred boss Ross into protesting: "Both our drivers have equal treatment and opportunity."

To my mind it was evident that Barrichello, the oldest driver on the grid and now with 10 wins from 278 outings, was destined once again be little more than the fall-guy, a supporting extra to main star Button.

After his public utterances all that has changed as round 12 looms at Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix and Brazilian Barrichello finds himself in a position to glorify himself with the title and the burgeoning confidence to go for it whether Button and Brawn like it or not.

He was brilliant in Valencia last weekend, patient and quick and, in contrast to the struggling Button, able to maximise his car's performance.

Now it is him, and not the Red Bull pair of Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel who pose the strongest challenge to Button - and who would dare rob him of the oportunity to go for it?

Not Brawn. Not now. Especially with Barrichello's well publicised stance on his refusal to back down in favour of his partner.

"I can do it. I can win the title. And I'm going to go for it as hard as I can," is Barrichello's mantra.

Team orders, it seems, will play no part in whatever time the veteran has left in the frontline and he insists that from here on in it is case of every man for himself.

Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2009. All rights reserved.

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