Barrichello thanks Massa for helpful hints

Valencia: Brazilian Rubens Barrichello thanked injured compatriot Felipe Massa for the hints that helped him end a wait of nearly five years for victory.

Ferrari`s Massa won the inaugural race in Valencia for Ferrari last season but was seriously injured when he was hit on the head by a spring that fell off his friend Barrichello`s car in qualifying in Hungary last month. Barrichello, whose European Grand Prix win was the 100th by a Brazilian driver in Formula One, raced with a come back soon message for Massa on his helmet. The 37-year-old Brawn driver revealed that last year`s championship runner-up had also given him some useful advice."I spent a whole afternoon with him and he has such a good memory," he said. "He said something about (racing) lines at this race here and for sure they did help because he was superb here last year and so I watched the race after we`d spoken.” "It was great that his colours were with me, that he was telling me some of the good lines that he had last year, so it was (his) win too." Barrichello`s 10th career victory, and first since he was with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari in 2004, united the sport in celebration for a popular figure who has started more races than anyone else. The veteran, whose career looked to be at an end when Brawn`s predecessors Honda pulled out in December, sobbed over the team radio as he crossed the line in a moment he wished could last for ever. So Emotional "I have worked with almost 80 percent of the paddock," he said before being drenched in champagne and tossed in the air by his team mates. "All my wins seem to be so emotional. They (the other teams) are part of it as well, all the teams that I worked with. It has been a fantastic day.” "A lot went through my mind. I have learnt in the 17 years (since his debut in 1993) how to be not emotional. I can freeze all my thoughts and just drive and I have been doing that very well," he added. "Some mistakes at the beginning of my career were because of these emotional thoughts and so on, but today was good. I was concentrated and so on but the last 10 laps everything came up in my mind.” "You hear all the noises. You hear everything and you can see people in the grandstands. It was a tough one but a fantastic one. Like I said, it seems it is always emotional when I win, but I hope I have a lot more." The Brazilian is out of contract at the end of the season and Nick Fry, the team`s chief executive, refused to be drawn on the 2010 lineup. However he was delighted with Barrichello`s performance. "I felt more nervous during the course of this race than most of the others because we so much wanted this for Rubens," he told reporters. "For him to do this after so many years in Formula One is a real tribute to his enthusiasm for driving." Bureau Report