Just after backing his friend and countryman to bounce back, Rubens Barrichello has refused to rule out returning to formula one to replace the struggling Felipe Massa.

After 19 consecutive seasons in F1, 39-year-old Barrichello had to switch to the Indycar series for 2012 after losing his race seat at Williams.

Speaking to Brazilian television Sportv this week, however, the Brazilian said he cannot rule out returning to the grid — even with Ferrari.

After a six-year tenure, Barrichello left Ferrari at the end of 2005 and – until now – has not looked back overly fondly on his treatment alongside the famous Italian team’s former number one Michael Schumacher.

But in the wake of Massa’s recent performance struggles, Barrichello was voted in an Italian poll as the ideal replacement for the diminutive 30-year-old.

When asked about Ferrari, Barrichello said this week: “I want the fans to understand that I don’t have any hard feelings.

“If they called me today to go drive for them I would go. It was the best team I’ve ever driven for in terms of support, of creativity. But there were definitely some spicy episodes,” he added.

With the backing of sponsors, Barrichello has signed on with the KV team in Indycar for 2012, but he insists he is “completely open” about returning to F1.

“It would be something to think about,” he said in the televised interview on Wednesday.

“I think anything can happen. I’m not saying it will happen, but I have to be ready.”

Barrichello, the longest-serving driver in F1 history, revealed that he still enjoys the backing of Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s influential chief executive.

“He asked me if I was really going to race in Indycar and I told him ‘Yeah, because you didn’t find me a place in F1′,” he joked.

“He said he will see what he can do about it. Really, you just have to see what happens, you have to stay open about it,” added Barrichello.

Sebastian Vettel is learning from his mistakes, according to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

The 23-year-old German’s title chances this year have been dented by a series of setbacks, including driver errors.

The latest was his crash into Jenson Button two weeks ago at Spa-Francorchamps, triggering a wave of criticism about his readiness to be world champion.

“He’s a great driver, but he’s young and not so experienced — he’s learning,” Horner is quoted by the German language Sportwoche.

“What he has to do now is remain calm and focused,” said the Briton, referring to Vettel’s highly competitive car, but 31 point deficit in the drivers’ standings.

Teammate Mark Webber is widely regarded as Red Bull’s less preferred driver, but he has won more grands prix than any other rival in 2010, and is mere points from heading the championship.

“Mark is in the form of his life,” acknowledged Horner.

But he insists that neither Vettel or Webber occupy the role of team number one.

“We definitely favour neither one of them, they both have the same opportunities,” said Horner.

“We try to operate as transparently as possible.”

Red Bull’s other problem is the awkward relationship between the drivers, not helped by perceptions that team consultant Helmut Marko and Webber do not get along.

Australian Webber is believed to be much closer to Horner as well as team owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

Horner commented that it is understandable that he is “not as close with some people in the organisation as he is with others”.

Webber does not hide the fact that Vettel is not his best friend.

“I concentrate on myself and do what I have to do,” he told Austrian television ‘Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar 7′.

“It’s been a positive season for me.  I cannot control Sebastian — he does what he does.  And obviously the team will make decisions in the future,” added Webber.

Red Bull might not test its new F-duct system on the long straights of Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next Friday.

The team took its initial version of the downforce-stalling concept off the RB6 after Friday practice in Turkey, after Sebastian Vettel reported that it had not functioned perfectly.

“We need to work on getting the right effect,” said the German.

It had been expected that the team would test the innovation again during Friday practice in Canada, where the straightline speed boost will be a big advantage on the fast layout.

But on Austrian television ‘Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar 7′ on Tuesday, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko indicated that the F-duct will not be used in Montreal next week.

“It did not work perfectly,” he confirmed on Tuesday, referring to the Istanbul Park test.

“Therefore, we are developing it further.  We will bring it again to Valencia,” he added.

(GMM)

A crisis meeting will be held in the next few days at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes headquarters, in a bid to ease the ill-feeling in the wake of the Sebastian Vettel-Mark Webber shunt.

“The goal is to win the world championship with the fastest driver.  Above any individual interest must be the general interest, and that is the success of the team,” team advisor Helmut Marko said on Austrian television Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7.

“The two drivers do not need to go out for dinner with each other, but they must cooperate,” he insisted.

Marko maintains that, prior to the contact whilst leading the Turkish grand prix, Webber’s race engineer Ciaron Pilbeam should have passed on the team’s instruction that Vettel was not yet in a fuel-saving mode because he had an extra lap of fuel.

“Why (he did not pass on the information) is still not entirely clear,” said Marko.  “This engineer simply had a blackout; he did not respond properly.”

He insists the turning down of Webber’s engine did not amount to a team order.

“The message to Webber should have been ‘You’re too slow.  At this rate, Hamilton is going to be straight past you.  If Vettel is faster, don’t fight against him, concentrate on Hamilton’.

“That is not a team order,” Marko said.

(GMM)