Barrichello stakes claim for new Honda contract

SILVERSTONE, England, July 6 (Reuters) - Formula One's most experienced driver Rubens Barrichello ended a three year wait on Sunday with a podium finish that showed the Brazilian had lost none of his mastery in the rain.

While delighted with a third place in the British Grand Prix that did no harm to his chances of staying at Honda next season, the 36-year-old felt he could have done even better.

"I love the wet," he said. "Today was very difficult at the beginning with the visibility, coming from behind. There was a moment when I touched the white line and spun.

"There was a minor problem in the pitstop that I still don't know what happened, I was there for more than 20 seconds and that cost me one position on the podium."

Barrichello, who holds a record 261 Formula One starts, used all his expertise to make the right call on when to fit extreme wet tyres as heavy rain fell at the half distance.

With former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn masterminding the strategy from the pit wall as team boss, struggling Honda pulled off their first top three finish of the year and almost doubled their points tally at a stroke.

NO INTENTION OF STOPPING

Barrichello, out of contract at the end of the season, wasted no time in pressing his claims to stay on into 2009.

"I think the podium comes at a good time," said the Sao Paulo driver, whose last top three finish was with Ferrari in a six car race at Indianapolis in 2005.

"I have no intentions of stopping. I will only stop if I have nowhere else to go.

"But my intention is to stay with Honda, I have no contracts just yet but I feel young. I love racing more than I ever did.

"The day that I find that I am actually slower than I was at my first race in Kyalami is the day when I will stop. But right now I feel that I am faster than that today."

Brawn, who worked with Barrichello throughout the Brazilian's six seasons at Ferrari with seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, may need little convincing when the decision comes to be made.

"I think out of the shadow of Michael he has recognised the greater scope that gives him," the Briton had told reporters before the race.

"Michael was exceptional and any driver racing in the same team had a massive challenge," he continued.

"Rubens did a great job of coping with that and of course he doesn't have to cope with that any more and I think its opened things up for him a lot more.

"I think he is possibly a better driver than when I remember him at Ferrari."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; editing by Padraic Halpin)