Barrichello Reunited With Ferrari in Italian GT Outing at Vallelunga

Photo: Scuderia Baldini

Rubens Barrichello will return to racing a Prancing Horse this weekend at Vallelunga, teaming up with fellow ex-Formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella for the Italian GT Championship endurance round.

The 50-year-old Brazilian has been confirmed in Scuderia Baldini’s Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, marking Barrichello’s first race outing in a Ferrari since his five-year spell with the Italian manufacturer in F1 from 2000-05.

Barrichello finished runner-up in the F1 World Championship twice, having made a total of 322 starts, 11 wins and 68 podium finishes.

Both Barrichello and Ferrari factory driver Fisichella tested at Vallelunga in June, where they were joined by Barrichello’s son, Eduardo (pictured above).

While initially considered a one-off outing, team boss Fabio Baldini has pulled the two star drivers together for this weekend’s third round of the endurance season.

The Italian outfit has attracted other star drivers in the past, with Fisichella and Jacques Villeneuve having driven together in 2019.

“We could not be absent in Vallelunga,” said Baldini. “On our home turf the 488 GT3 will be driven by our flag driver Giancarlo Fisichella and Rubens Barrichello.

“After Jacques Villeneuve, we managed to get another great champion like Rubens on our car. I had the chance to meet him in Monza last April and we were on the same page.

“He said he would have liked to be back on a Ferrari after 17 years and I offered him the chance to compete with us. He gladly accepted my offer.

“We did a test in Vallelunga, it went well and here we are for the debut this year in the Endurance Series after the good results obtained so far in the Sprint series where our two lineups are fighting for the title.”

Track action begins on Friday, with the two-hour race getting underway Sunday at 3 p.m. local time.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John