Race and classic pictures

Poorly Barrichello on the mend

Former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello has been in hospital this week, getting over a serious health scare. However, he was quick to reassure his fans that he was on the mend and would be back to his old self soon.

Barrichello complained of a severe headache last weekend, and was hospitalised for checks and tests.

His uncharacteristic absence on social media sparked concern among fans, prompting him to take to Instagram to post a video.

"I can see everyone is sending me messages and everyone is worried," he said. "A long time not positing pictures and so on. So I decided to tell you.

"On Saturday I decided to wake up and have a shower. I felt a terrible headache. Luckily my wife was there and she called a friend doctor who took me to the hospital.

"I had a small problem on a vein," he added, without going into further details.

"I am still going through exams and so on, but I am honestly great," he insisted. "Soon I will be back on the race track. So good to speak to you guys."

Barrichello made 322 starts in Formula 1 between 1993 and 2011. He competed for Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Williams before retiring. Since then he's taken part in IndyCar and the Brazilian Stock Car series.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.