09/05/2008 09:21

Turkey - Jenson Button led the compliments for Honda teammate Rubens Barrichello at the Turkish Grand Prix on Thursday as the Brazilian prepared for a record 257th Formula One start.

"That's fantastic, and he doesn't look a day over 37," quipped the Briton, agreeing that the Brazilian, who is in fact only 35, was showing no signs of slowing down.

"He has been on it this year," said Button. "He has been doing a very good job. It is good to have a competitive and very experienced teammate as he is."

Button was 13 when Barrichello made his Formula One debut with now-defunct Jordan as a 20-year-old at Kyalami in South Africa in 1993.

"I'd seen Rubens race in Formula Three and been very impressed by him," former team boss Eddie Jordan recalled recently. "But it was only when I got a call from Ayrton Senna, who told me what a great kid he was, that I thought seriously about signing him."

The Formula One landscape has changed considerably since those days. Kyalami disappeared from the calendar that same year while a Turkish Grand Prix would have been considered a far-fetched idea.

Final season

Williams, which last won a race in 2004, was dominant in 1993 while Ferrari was in the doldrums. Future teammate Michael Schumacher, now retired and with seven world championships to his credit, still had only one win to his name.

Italian Riccardo Patrese was in his final season with Benetton, bowing out with the 256th race appearance that will be eclipsed as a record on Sunday.

"I will feel some sadness of course," Patrese said this week. "I was pleased to keep the record but records are there to be beaten and the only thing I can say is that I congratulate Rubens for doing it."

Drivers are getting younger but Barrichello's extraordinary benchmark could still stand for just as long as Patrese's did.

The only other active driver close to the Sao Paulo racer is Britain's David Coulthard, who will be starting his 233rd grand prix on Sunday but is unlikely to outlast the Brazilian.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella is starting his 199th while compatriot Jarno Trulli stands on 186. Button will have racked up a mere 140 after the weekend.

Barrichello's contract with Honda runs out at the end of the season and he has not scored a point since 2006 but he would like to carry on

'I love racing'

"I feel happier when I'm in the F1 paddock, preparing for a race, than almost anywhere else," he said this week. "I've had a long career in Formula One and I have so many wonderful memories, but I don't feel any different today to the day when I started out on this journey in 1993.

My first race at Kyalami seems like yesterday. I was lucky enough to start my career in F1 at a young age and I love racing as much as ever and, importantly, I still love Formula One. While people will look back at my 16-year career in Turkey, I'm still looking forward and the next race is the one that matters most."

If the low of Barrichello's career came at Imola in 1994, the race in which his close friend and compatriot Senna died, the highs were with Ferrari. He won nine times with the Italian team between 2000 and 2004 as Schumacher's loyal team mate.

"We really had a good time, not only on track but also off-track," Schumacher said in a tribute to Barrichello. "Rubens is the perfect guy to party with, so I hope he does not wait too long to retire."