Barrichello left high and dry.

Rubens Barrichello's hopes of taking the world championship fight to another round ended before the French Grand Prix even got under way, as his car was still standing on its jacks when the formation lap began.

The Brazilian, who had to put in a storming drive from the back of the grid at Silverstone two weeks ago, was then the subject of some frantic work from his mechanics, which included the replacement of his steering wheel with a new unit, but the car was plainly going nowhere.

"I don't know what happened," he sighed, "The engine never fired up, even though we tried everything we could. We changed the steering wheel, tried all the buttons, but there was nothing we could do. We will have to investigate the problem to find the cause, but in my opinion it was a different problem to the one I experienced at Silverstone.

"I am very disappointed because I was very confident in my car and was sure I could have a good race. Now, I am already thinking about the next grand prix."

The dismay that swept over Barrichello was evident as he stormed into the Ferrari pit, packed his bags and disappeared from the circuit. However, once his frustration had ebbed - ands he was aware of the situation in the race - he was quickly back with his team.

"After what happened to me at the start, I had left the circuit," he admitted, "I was on the plane ready to go when I heard that Michael had won. I felt I had to return to the track, because we are a family and we stick together through thick and thin."