300

No, I'm not talking about the movie. Barrichello is about to start his 300th grand prix weekend of his career. Well, the weekend of the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994 (yes, the fateful one in the Senna family's life), he didn't start the race because of injury. Other than that, he's been ever-present in the paddock.

AT&T Williams marked the occasion by hosting a reception for him in their motorhome last evening. Most of the paddock showed up, according to the Williams twitter feed (by my count, "most" = 12. Still, that is 52% of the grid, if one excludes Barrichello, since he was going to be there anyway). Notable absences included Michael Schumacher, although he did text Rubens to apologise for giving him the impression that he was trying to run him into the wall in Hungary. Aparently, driving him into the wall was not an attempt to do him harm or end his race, it was just defensive driving (although, my dad, who spent his Zimbabwean national service in the police, has a different definition of defensive driving). Rubens, in true Rubens style, had a wee cry.

The Brazilian Mafia, expectedly, was well represented at the party (photo credit to Claire, the PR officer for the Williams team), with Massa, Di Grassi and Senna all stopping by to say "parabéns" to their countryman (and, yes, The Blue Embratel Cap made an appearance too). I wish the delightfully likeable Brazilian all the best for this weekend! May it not be like David Coulthard's last grand prix!


Edit to add: Unfortunately, Rubens' race was a little too reminiscent of DC's final performance. However, I did won a 300 commemorative t-shirt in the competition he held. Photo will follow when it arrives.

Capless

Now I think I understand why he wears The Blue Embratel Cap all the time.

Edit to add: If that's what the helmet hair looks like, how wild is the bed-head?

The hat to suit all occasions

In a moment of whimsy, I decided to google image search my Rookie of the Year. I was trying to write an essay about the evolution of plant vasculature (I'm still tempted to hand in a piece of paper with my name on it, followed by the sentence "God did it," just to see how badly the lecturer will take it) and wondered if there were more interesting things to look at online. Turns out, there were. Note: not fascinating, but certainly more entertaining than the evolution of plant vasculature.

It would appear that Bruno Senna only has one hat. He seems to love this hat, wearing it everywhere with everything. Even when the occasion doesn't call for a hat (for example, an evening function indoors), The Hat makes an appearance. Take a look...

While being intervewed after a race, 2006

While hanging out with his Mum in Monaco, 2007
As an aside: I'm fairly sure Jimmy Carr would have something to say about the leopard-print outfit sported by Viviane.

While testing for Honda F1, 2008

While racing in the Le Mans Series, 2009

While attending the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 2009

And, just when you thought The Hat had run out of opportunities to make an appearance...

While launching the Hispania Racing car, 2010
Is it just me, or does The Hat not go with that suit?

So, The Hat has longevity. The Hat has outlasted all the recent players in his love life. His Mum seems to approve of The Hat. I wonder what's going to happen if/when he makes a podium and a Bridgestone hat needs to make an appearance. Is he going to betray his beloved Hat in favour of a young, red one?