Rubens Barrichello explains why he couldn’t visit Michael Schumacher after skiing accident

More than ten years after Michael Schumacher’s accident, Rubens Barrichello reveals why the family prohibited him from visiting his teammate at the time of the incident.

Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello were teammates at Scuderia Ferrari from 2000 to 2005, both playing key roles in the golden era for the Maranello team with five consecutive victories in the drivers’ (for the German) and constructors’ championships.

Just over ten years after the Kaiser’s dramatic accident, the Brazilian remembers when he tried to ask the family to visit his teammate, but it was forbidden.

Rubens Barrichello had been informed of the incident and immediately asked Corinna (Schumi’s wife) if he could see him. However, his request was not accepted, and the Brazilian explains the reason more than a decade after that tragic day (December 29, 2013).

“They told me that unfortunately, I wouldn’t be of help, and maybe I would have been sad,” he reveals on Flow Podcast from Brazil. “So, I understood that it wasn’t the right time to enter [his life].”

“I have met his family a thousand times, and I always offer them all my love.” – he explained.

In Formula 1, a teammate is the first adversary. Between Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, the rivalry was strong, especially in cases where team orders were imposed. The German was the lead driver, while the Brazilian played a supporting role.

A prayer for Schumi

Despite harsh words in recent interviews, Barrichello still cares about Schumi’s health and remembers when he prayed for him:

“I was in California for New Year’s Eve. It was midnight, and it was just the four of us [with his wife and kids]. And then I said that I wanted to say the Lord’s Prayer for Schumacher,” he recounts.

“My son Dudu turned to me and asked why because, according to him, ‘he had never treated me well.’ That was the moment when I had to explain to him that much of what he had heard did not come from his father, but were just part of gossip about our rivalry.”

Since 2013, Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has built a security wall around Michael. No one beyond family, the doctors treating him, and close friends are aware of his current health condition.