Barrichello battles back.

Rubens Barrichello has revealed that his Silverstone performance came in spite of starting the British Grand Prix weekend in excruciating pain.

The Brazilian claimed that he arrived back in Britain - after a trip home to Brazil - with a back injury that, in the build-up to the race weekend, he feared could end his participation. Despite the discomfort, he hustled his Brawn entry onto the front row, splitting the pacesetting Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, before battling his way to a podium place in face of pressure from both Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg.

"On the trip, on the way to England, I started to feel my back, especially my lower back, hurting, [and] I want to thank all the doctors that helped me this weekend, because I was in terrible pain," he revealed at the post-race press conference, "[Thanks to] Dr Cecarelli and the doctors at Toro Rosso, my friends there that helped me, and my physio, as my back really hurt the whole weekend. They helped me big time, so I could finish the race in good feeling.

"After I ran on Friday morning, when I got out of the car, it was really, really stiff. The massage wasn't doing anything and obviously, nowadays, you cannot take any medicine, so I had to check the doctors and check everyone and they helped me big time."

Barrichello admitted that, until it clears completely, the injury will be something else to consider over a grand prix weekend, but insisted that it was worse when he wasn't driving.

"Luckily, the position that I'm sitting in the car is comfortable for the lower back," he confirmed, "From now on, it's going to be a problem, but it's fine as long as it's not a problem with the car."