Barrichello to undergo surgery

Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello of the Ferrari team was to undergo surgery today to remove calcified tissue from his rib cage.

Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello of the Ferrari team was to undergo surgery today to remove calcified tissue from his rib cage.

The operation will be performed at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital by orthopedist Moises Cohen, who will withdraw the tissue that started forming on the driver's sixth and seventh ribs after an accident in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

The Agencia Folha news wire quoted Cohen as saying that the operation would be "relatively simple" and that Barrichello should leave the hospital by Sunday morning.

Barrichello arrived in Brazil from Spain on Friday, where he was testing cars for Ferrari.