"You talk to Michael Schumacher and he will always feel that he is right" - When Rubens Barrichello criticized his former teammate's defensive tactics

Rubens Barrichello once criticized his former Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher for the latter's defensive driving during the 2010 Hungarian GP. This was when Schumacher made his sensational return to F1 with Mercedes.

At the Hungarian GP that year, the seven-time world champion only managed to secure P14 for the main race, while Barrichello, driving for Williams, started the race from P12. During the race, Barrichello lost a couple of places and found himself behind his old teammate. With the Williams being faster than the Mercedes that season, the Brazilian tried to overtake Schumacher on the main straight.

However, Schumacher did not allow Rubens Barrichello to pass. In fact, the German's defensive moves nearly pinned his old teammate to the wall as he tried to keep his position. The Brazilian driver barely avoided the pit wall barrier and managed to overtake Schumacher.

After the race, Barrichello was asked whether he would talk it out with Schumacher regarding the incident. He replied that talking to the seven-time world champion would not resolve anything. Barrichello added that his former Ferrari teammate thought he was always right.

"I won't – because it won't resolve things. You know Michael – you talk to him and he will always feel that he is right. He stopped [for] three years [but] he hasn't changed at all. He is still the same guy.

"You would not expect after so many races for someone to do that. You would expect someone with 10 races to do that kind of thing."

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Rubens Barrichello once spoke on whether Michael Schumacher ever helped him as a teammate

Rubens Barrichello once talked about how he did not receive any major help from his former teammate Michael Schumacher.

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast in 2019, the Brazilian said that though several of his teammates became his friends, Schumacher's was a different case. He explained that the seven-time world champion had not been "supportive." Barrichello said at 37:00,

“I always made friends and I’ve always had a good relationship with all my teammates. But he was never supportive. It's not the right word. He was never there to offer help, so I never asked.”

Barrichello also shared that when both he and Schumacher were at Ferrari, the team would sometimes hold an extra meeting with only the German being the focus of it.

“Michael was different. He was a bit naive in the way that he worked. So many times, we would finish a meeting 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.”

Both drivers raced alongside each other at Ferrari from 2000 to 2005. During these six seasons, Schumacher dominated the sport, winning five world championships in a row. While the German won 48 races, Barrichello was only able to win nine in six years.