As nations go, Brazil has given the world of sport some of the greatest superstars it has ever seen. Yes, this is mainly in the racing and football world, but these are the two most watched sports in the world.

It gave us soccer greats such as Kaka, Ronaldo and Pele, and it gave F1 arguably the greatest star the world has ever known, Ayrton Senna.

It has been almost 20 years since his death at Imola in 1994, and the sport is still looking for the next Senna.

Enter Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa.

Barrichello is one of the oldest drivers around the F1 paddock and holds the record for the most Grand prix starts, at 322. He has driven for some of the most exciting and successful teams in the sport, including Ferrari, Brawn GP, Stewart GP, Honda F1 and Williams F1. After Senna, he is one of the most successful Brazilians yet to race F1.

Williams Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello of Brazil speaks to the media ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November last year. Picture: Reuters

Massa, on the other hand, has only driven for two teams, Ferrari and Sauber F1. He was seen as the next big talent to get into the sport after Michael Schumacher left at the end of 2006 and has driven to some spectacular victories.

Here’s the problem: I never liked either of them. Barrichello I didn’t like because he replaced Eddie Irvine, one of my favourite drivers of all time, at Ferrari in 2000; Massa, because I believe he was the main reason Schumacher didn’t win the title in 2006.

My mind, however, has been changed about Barrichello. I saw an interview with him on Top Gear and he seems to be one of the nicest drivers in the paddock. I have started to follow him closely, and he is one of the best drivers around.

Massa, on the other hand, shouldn’t be a Ferrari driver any more. He hasn’t done anything over the past couple of seasons to justify his place in the team.

Yes, he was in a major accident in 2009 that almost claimed his life, but so was Barrichello. On the weekend of Imola in 1994, the latter hit the wall during one of the practice sessions and had to be rushed to hospital. Yet he came back and did a fantastic job in the rest of his career.

Massa needs to change some things in his life. He needs to find a new team and get motivated, and then he will be back to full force; he just won’t find it at Ferrari.

Barrichello will be in a competitive position this year. If he stays with Williams, he will start winning races again. They have the new Renault engine and one of the best engineering departments in the paddock.

So, my conclusion is that Barrichello is the better driver. However, it is just a matter of time before Brazil gives F1 another superstar.

Tags: #Felipe Massa, #Rubens Barrichello