Giancarlo Fisichella confirmed at Ferrari

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Giancarlo Fisichella is probably still grinning like this in his sleep

Giancarlo Fisichella will drive for Ferrari in his home Grand Prix at Monza next weekend, the team has confirmed.

He will be the first Italian to drive for Ferrari in his home Grand Prix at Monza since Ivan Capelli in 1992.

Nicola Larini finished second for Ferrari in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in Italy in 1994.

As reported here yesterday, Fisichella’s seat at Force India is expected to be taken by Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Force India boss Vijay Mallya had denied the rumours earlier this week, even when team member Ian Phillips confirmed them to the BBC on Monday.

The last Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix was Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966, driving for Ferrari. Can Fisichella become the first driver to emulate his feat in 43 years?

First pictures – Fisichella at Ferrari

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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139 comments on “Giancarlo Fisichella confirmed at Ferrari”

  1. good for Fisi and Ferrari. Go Ferrari

    1. I think one key point here is
      Release of Fissi to Ferrari w/o any financial implications

  2. Come on Keith, I expected more accuracy. Capelli drove the Ferrari at Monza in ’92. :P

    1. he didnt win it though

      1. Well obviously, the ’92 Ferrari was utterly useless. But my point is about the mistake in the article. :)

    2. Sorry, had very little time to get this written. Have modified it now.

  3. I noticed it first on the forum!
    yay!
    hehehe

    high time to putting badoer away, poor guy…

  4. Thats very good. Fisi really realy deserved it!

  5. Interesting quote from Vijay Mallya:

    Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo’s long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this

    I wonder what is meant by “long-term future with Ferrari”? I suspect Fisi is to be their new test driver, but I wonder if they’re intending to keep him as their backup in case Massa can’t race next year but they don’t find out until they’ve released Kimi (as expected).

    1. I think Fisi had already signed to become Ferrari’s test driver for next year.
      But, as you say, if Massa can’t make a comeback for any reason (or decides he doesn’t want to!) it gives them a good backup plan. Kimi/Alonso, Kimi/Fisi, Alonso/Fisi… all would probably work quite well.

      1. I’m not so sure on that one, as a lot of people were talking about whether he’d decline the offer of sub-ing for Ferrari so that he could drive for FI next year…

        From Ferrari’s POV it makes sense to have a test driver who’s actually raced in the current generation of car.

    2. I think he will fill in for Massa until he returns, so that could also mean the first races of 2010 if it comes to that.

    3. Nice spot, I was wondering the same.

      I think, Fisichella already had a deal with Ferrari for 2010 in place (as a test driver), and it has been brought forward.

      Surely, they cant be thinking of off-loading Kimi for Fisichella.

      So, it seems that the sun on Fisichella’s career has set then. He was never championship material, but a wonderful driver of slow cars, and will end his career with the top team in the sport. He couldn’t have organized his exit any better though. Well done Fisi :-) Enjoy!!

      1. Autosport confirm in their article that Fisi is going to be Ferrari’s text/reserve driver from next year.

    4. I think that this is good for Giancarlo, but he is going to be the reserve driver at Ferrari next year, in that case, I can’t see Fisichella racing in a Grand Prix after the end of this season… I think it is a shame really.

    5. Well Adi, we are all well aware that the media are fed anything but the facts until the deed is done, as in this case. But Massa will only be allowed to race if his neurological state is as good as his physical one. Ferrari are sensibly laying foundations….

  6. Good for F1…lets go racing fellas!!

  7. That’s sooo bad!
    I’d love to see Force India battling it against the top teams. It brought so much freshness into the last race.
    Now we will see more of the typical mix, because Sutil didn’t and prolly won’t perform as good as Fisi would do in the FI car.

    1. I’m not sure, Sutil always looked the more likely to get Force India’s first points until very recently.

      1. Yeah but Sutil’s blown several chances to bring in points for Force India.

        Most recently was Germany when instead of playing it safe and bagging Force India their much needed “squillions”, he went wheel to wheel with Kimi instead.

        1. Aye, and Sutil has been in those positions more down to luck and circumstance. In normal race weekends, Fisi has been the more competitive guy. It’s a great way for him to end his career – a couple more podiums or even a win would be fantastic – good luck Fisi!

        2. Always racing before money IMO.

          1. Right on, John!!

  8. Btw, Keith, when are the prediction game results coming?
    I was hoping that with the new system it’d work faster.
    It’s too exciting now :]

    1. I’ve been away an awful lot this week so haven’t had chance to do it yet. Will be done over the weekend. As of the next race it should be much faster though.

      1. Lazy boy :P!

  9. I love it…..GO Fisi GO!!!Go ferrari Go!!!!

  10. Fisi can kiss goodbye to his “racing” career after the remaining few races this year. Bad decision all round. I’m just starting to wonder if the race at spa was “sort of pre-arranged” ?

    1. Yea, right, for last 2 years Force India has been pretending to be slow in case one of the Ferrari drivers got hurt and then all of the sudden they go fast for Spa, fast enough to win, but why not let Kimi win…since ONE guy at Force India is leaving the team and going to Ferrari. I’m sure the other couple of hundred people won’t mind.

      LAME. enough with conspiracies, Fisi was about to cry because Kimi passed him once again.

      Also, I think Fisi had already kissed his racing career goodbye, so for him, this is a brilliant end to a respectable F1 career.

    2. absolutley agreed. i don’t know how could the Fisi-management bring him into this kind of situation. he is way too competitive to be degraded into a testdriver, but at Force India he was the hero, and he could have earned a contract for 2010 as well, or at other teams, but his long-term Ferrari deal won’t let him on a loan deal to get back a racing seat. argh :S

      1. @ everyone

        Fisi was on his way to becoming the “Indian” hero. He could have been the one to have transformed the perception of F1 in India & the sub-continent. just imagine the reception he would have got if he had managed to pull off that victory in a Force India. He would have been perceived as a demi-god over there in India. That is what the sport needs in these difficult,uncertain times. many people here in europe dunno how crazy the sub-continent is about f1. Fisi imo has blown it. A win this year with FI could have in all probability ensured him a seat for next year, but all that he has got is the remaining 6 races & thats it. I’m sure Fisi would have gone from zero to hero with that one elusive win with force india, atleast in India. but….

        1. Fisi imo has blown it. A win this year with FI could have in all probability ensured him a seat for next year,

          Your utterly mad, to say an Italian has blown his chances by going to Ferrari at an Italian Grand Prix, its madness, tell that to his face. “your driving for Ferrari Fisi?, what made you make so a rash decision?”

          Fisi is going to test for Ferrari anyway, it was known that Badoa was retiring next year and Fisi was prolly gonna replace him.

        2. You’re getting more insane by the day, mp4-19b.

          Maybe you’re to thick to realise but read any of the interviews with Fisichella to see what he has to say about his choice to make the move. He’s stoked, this is his lifelong dream he can fullfil just before the end of his career. Instead the only way you can look at Fisichella’s move is with shameless self interest.

          Why would he give a s&*t about being a hero in India? He’s Italian, so is Ferrari, and they’re quite a bit more prestigious than Force India.

          1. Yes, I agree w/ BS…..Fisi will be a ‘demi-god’ in Italy….where he lives.

            Plus, we just read an article about India bashing F1, so ‘demi-god’ might be a little much.

        3. MP4-19…The black helicopters are circling you residence right now and Max, with Bernie are having a big party to honor Ron Dennis tommorrow and your invited.

          You really need to come back to earth on this one.

    3. Fisi can kiss goodbye to his “racing” career after the remaining few races this year. Bad decision all round. I’m just starting to wonder if the race at spa was “sort of pre-arranged” ?

      Firstly I do not think that the race at spa was pre-arranged – it doesnt make sense to even think that. On the contrary what I believe could have happened is that Fisi learned that he will move to Ferrari (prior to Spa) and this brought some extra motivation back into his body and as a result he performed remarkably well at Spa. Emotions drive people in ways you can not imagine.

      But I must agree on the “Fisi can kiss goodbye to his “racing” career” part.

      I think this result was an overall bad move for Fisi (unless he wins every remaining race and does something amazing), since it is very likely that he will become a test driver for Ferrari. And we all know that once you are a test driver for Ferrari, you can kiss your chances goodbye unless someone else has an accident and by then Fisi’s performance will be poor. The only thing Fisi can be happy about is that Ferrari will pay him well.

      1. Why is that a bad move? Fisi has said that he’s at the end of his career and that he would like to continue as Ferrari test driver.

        I have no idea why he would want that since there is no testing to speak off, but it’s what he wants to do.

        1. Fisi has said that he’s at the end of his career and that he would like to continue as Ferrari test driver.

          Ah, well if that is what he said then its ok. Didn’t know that was the direction he wanted to take, but yeah he seems very happy about it so far, in which case im happy for him too.

  11. Fantastic news for Fisi, and the most deserving of seats to retire in too. I’m hoping that I can predict a Fisichella win before the seasons out! :-)

    Yeesh! mp4-19b! what are you like!?! LOL!!

    1. It might not be as fantastic for Fisi as one may think. Especially in the long term.
      Force India might have a faster can at Monza and until the end of the season than Ferrari.
      Anyway, as of now Ferrari won’t give him a contract for the next season, because they are still waiting for a decisive call regarding Massa.
      It is very probable that at the end of the season Fisi will have to look for a seat for 2010, but most good cars in the field will have been already seated – the Force India cars amongst them.

      1. What “long term” are you talking about???

        He has had his time in Formula 1. He is OLD!! At the end of his career. The only way he could have stayed in F1 next year was with one of the new teams or Force India.

        He might as well be a test driver for the top team in Formula 1 and peacefully slip into the oblivion. Everyone will remember him for getting Force India’s first points rather than him trudging along the back of the grid for another year.

        Excellent move by Fisichella.

        1. If Fisi (in his mind and heart) is/was indeed planing to retire, then this was indeed a good move for him. Otherwise I must say it is not the best move if he is planing to extend his racing carrier.

          1. In Fisi’s mind, the only thing he cares about is driving the Ferrari. He had his chance, had a good career, and now he just wants to live out his dream to race for not only his home team, but also the biggest name in F1.

            Don’t forget, he drove alongside Fernando at Renault when they won the WDC, he had his chance at great teams, then helped FI to where they are now, then gets to drive for Ferrari….sounds good to me, I’m sure is is ecstatic and proud….

  12. While I understand why Fisi is doing this. After the 5 races with big red, where dose he go next year. Cant see him wanting to be a test driver.

    1. Cant see him wanting to be a test driver.

      That is what I am wondering too.

    2. Why not? Ferrari test driver probably pays better than Force India driver!

      1. Because I think he would rather race and being a test driver is only worth it after the season is over so what dose he do when the season starts up.

  13. He’s gonna get beaten by Vitantonio Liuzzi.

    1. That would be funny

  14. This allows Ferrari to have a back-up plan in case Massa doesn’t make it back next year….

    Looks like a Alfonso/Fisi line up again like in the old days at Renault…

    Back to the future and…. Kimi to Macca please…

    1. I think Massa will be back. But The only thing that can stop him is his vision. I dont think we have enough information on his condition to know exactly what happened to his eye (or do we!? :| ), but I believe he should recover fully for 2010.

  15. So he wants to be a test driver in a series with no tests? I’m sure it’s lots of fun driving up and down airport tarmacs. Even though it is the holiest of sports teams, that sounds ridiculous. He is not top shelf but he brings a lot more to the table than most of the guys tipped for F1 seats next year.

    1. So he wants to be a test driver in a series with no tests?

      hehe good point. but maybe they will remove the test ban for next year..

    2. I agree 100%.

  16. Ironic that Fisi (Ex-Renault team mate) will get in a red car before Fernando

    1. That’s not ironic.

      1. It is when it’s Alonso who has been pulling all the stops to get the seat!

      2. Correct.. thats karma..It would be even better if fisi takes off and wins a couple before the end of the year. That would put ferrari in a real conflict of which way to go.
        Massa has proved he a competitive driver and yeas Kimi won the championship but massa scored good points that year also and last year he was on fire.
        Now we know why ferrari wants 3 cars for next year..

  17. I think from the point of view of the team, this is a good choice, and as it was said here, having Fisichella as replacement driver, possibly keeping him on for testing in 2010 would leave them all opportunities open to still be able to achieve some results while they’re obviously going to be waiting to find out if and when Massa could be able to make a comeback. This would become even more important if, independently from what the rumour mill says, an Alonso transfer for 2010 would indeed not materialise.

  18. I would have liked to see Force India score some more points at a couple more tracks they should do well at, but now I think that chance is gone with Fisi leaving. But I wish Fisi well and hope he puts it to Kimi.

    1. You should read Kieth’s great article about Kimi’s career in video. Kimi has already ‘put it to’ Fisi…and the article didn’t even include Spa 09…

  19. Good for Fisi. Looks like he beat Alonso first in moving into Ferrari. Or can we see a reunion of old teammates on the scarlet team in the future?

  20. True is simple. Vj must pay for Ferrari engines which were used by Force India in 2008. Fisichella is a part of repayment.

    1. Is it true that VJ stills owes Ferrari for those engines? Otherwise, I’m interested in how easy it was for Fisi to get out of his Force India contract. Unless Fisi had a clause in there to allow him to move to Ferrari when the opportunity presented itself or if there was a payoff to VJ. Nonetheless I happy for Fisi. Hope he gets time to get familiar with KERS.

  21. I don’t think anyone is surprised that Ferrari have dropped Badoer and after all the recent speculation it seemed Fischella was favourite to replace him.

    I thought Fisichella would only get the seat if he wasn’t going to join another F1 team after driving for Ferrari and was going to stay with Ferrari after this season, and Mallya’s comments in the Autosport article seem to suggest this. So he will most likely be the new Ferrari test driver and may get some races next year if Massa is not fit enough until mid season.

    Massa getting injured has probably shown Ferrari they need a reserve driver who can fill in for the race drivers and not just be good at testing, so this makes sense on their part, but I thought Fisichella could have got a full time race seat next year if he wanted, but as has been mentioned driving for Ferrari will be a dream for him.

    1. Massa getting injured has probably shown Ferrari they need a reserve driver who can fill in for the race drivers and not just be good at testing

      True but after few years of testing those drivers are likely to become as useless as Badoer. The only thing that prevent(ed) teams of successfully replacing their drivers in the case of accidents or whatever, is the testing ban. Had the testing ban not been present we might have found out that Mark Gene was just as good as Fisi…

      but I thought Fisichella could have got a full time race seat next year if he wanted

      agreed.

      1. I don’t agree, Badoer was never particularly fast even when he had a full race seat. Fisi on the other hand has been consistently pretty quick over his entire career. OK, he was never no 1 driver material, but he’s definitely near the top of “best of the rest”.

        1. Well I hope you are right, and Fisi retains his driving gift and ability for years to come. I am just worried that after sometime of being a test driver in a series with not many tests, this could change…

          Either way I do hope that if Ferrari ever need a replacement again in the near future, for unforeseeable circumstances, that Fisi is indeed considered..

  22. What the… I really don’t understand you people critisizing his move especially with regards to his racing future.

    The guy was lighting up brighter than Raikkonen’s kers battery whenever somebody asked him about the prospects of landing a temporary drive at Ferrari. And he’ll be making his debut in both his and Ferrari’s home country to boot.

    Of course this is the right decision. At the end of his racing career he gets a chance to drive at the most prestigious and best known F1 team there is, which also happens to be a lifelong childhood dream. With his current form and motivation, he might not even do that bad a job.

    Some decisions are hard, this is one where you can spot from miles away that not going for it will be a decision you’ll regret for the rest of your life. Especialyl if he’s still around racing in an inferior Force India, being lapped by the F61 on a regular basis.

    1. Wow, does that mean Luca Badoer has lost everything? :(
      Quite disappointing for the guy.

      All the greatest Ferrari succesess in the last decade were with Badoer developing the car as their test driver.
      Ferrari didn’t need to change him for Fisichella.

  23. fisichella drive for ferrari first than alonso!!!! :)

  24. Excellent news for Fisi and the Tifosi, Monza will be crazy this year!!
    But can you imagine if Massa couldn’t come back for 2010 and Raikkonen decided Rally driving was more important – that would mean Fisi and Alonso — ! I’m sure Flavio would be down at Ferrari instantly demanding some sort of compensation for originally insigating that line up !

  25. Good for Fisi to have a chance to get even with Kimi. The next race, Fisi can use the Ferrari Kers to outgun Button, Rubens Vettel and others. If Fisi wins the Monza race, what a publicity for Ferrari-an Italian in Italian car in Italian home prix.

  26. So whoever doubted speed of Fisico can bury their doubts now.
    Not only is he fast in fact he beat his double world champion ex-teammate to the Ferrari seat. Other one has been making the move for more than two years now, which in terms of F1 can be equated to ETERNITY !!!!

  27. Thanks Mallya! Nice to see some gentlemen in the sport! It’s nice to see that effort gets rewarded. I just hope Force India will have some more nice results this season!

  28. I just hope that now with two real drivers ferrari not miss the 3rd in the wdc and How ironic…Fisichela can be the driver to triumph in his home GP. Someone predicted this?

    1. I did in 96 when he raced for the other famed italian team, minardi. Yeah, you guys like that old f1 name don’t you. 96 what a year, best year of my life.

  29. I mean WCC…

  30. Not sure it’s been mentioned yet, but Fisi being test/reserve driver in 2010 definitely rules out any comeback for Schumi :(

    All credit to Fisi though, yes he would have been strong at monza with the Force India, but driving for Ferrari must have been his ambition since a kid and I’m very pleased for him.

  31. An Italian in the cockpit of an Italian car in the Italian Grand Prix. I bet he cant wait till next week.

  32. Not only the Italian GP but Monza one of the sacred temples of motor racing. A victory could be the highlight of his career

  33. Hoot, hoot! My predictions came true! I sort of knew this was going to happen…but it is quite odd that Fisi, who hadn’t scored any points while at Force India, suddenly gets pole position and finishes second, next to a Kimi, of course! And then, gets to race for Ferrari by replacing Badoer? Hmm…

    Alright, enough with the conspiracy theories. I’m happy for Fisi. If he decides to retire this year, or anytime soon in the future, this will be great for him. I’m going to be excited to see how he does in the F60. I’m expecting points, definitely, and if he can reenact his Spa performance, then podiums!

  34. A number of people are saying Fisi has made a mistake as it will ruin his drive for next year (being “demoted” to a test driver from a race seat).
    You guys have the complete wrong end of the stick.
    Fisi retiring at the end of 09 and becoming Ferrari test driver was expected long before Massa’s accident opened up this opportunity.

    If you were retiring and you could race your final 5 races with Force India or fulfil your dream what would you do? Fisi has won races before, winning a couple of races with Force India isn’t going to register compared to being in the red car at Monza.

    It’s pretty much worked out better than he could have imagined a few months back.

    1. HounslowBusGarage
      3rd September 2009, 21:33

      Agreed. I’ve always thought a retiring F1 driver would make a perfect test driver – after all they’ve driven and tested a few already and should be able to report accurately.
      Let Fisi go out on a high and enjoy winter testing with Ferrari, and if Massa doesn’t start 2010, Fisi will be right there.
      On the other hand, the Tifosi will expect the earth of an Italian driver in a Ferrari at Monza, so he will be on a hiding to nothing next weekend.

  35. Good for him! F1 really is crap at keeping secrets :) I hope he can cope with the pressure though, I’ve never seen him as having one of the strongest mentalities in the paddock.

  36. No matter how rubbish he was, I still can’t help but feel sorry for Badoer. He was a one race away from realising the dream of every Italian with a driver’s license.

  37. Apparently, Badoer seems to have responded to this:

    Reporter: It was going so well, what went wrong?
    Badoer: I guess-a it’sa on the strategy-a of the team mana-agement-a. Uhm. It-a was-a a goode showa from the teame how to-a lose a star driver-a today. For me-a it’s uhm.. I’m-a terrible-a upset with the way-a thingsa going. You know-a.. I did-a alle I-a had to do. I had to-a go.. last on the laste corner, that’s all-e I-a did-a. And-a.. then-a.. they made-a me-a lose the seat-a, basically.
    Reporter: What can you do from a driver’s point of view? Will you sit down and talk about this as it’s not the first time this has happened?
    Badoer: I-a dunno, if-a.. you know, if-a… If-a it’s-a really what’s-a going-a on, it’s-a, we-a gonna-a end up losing-a both-a championsheeps, and-a that’s-a terrible. I-a feel-a sorry for myself-a, I-a feel-a sorry for-a the team-a. To be-a very honest-a with you-a I-a wish I-a can-a get on the plane-a and get-a home right now. I-a don’t wanna talk-a to anybody in the team-a, because I-a don’t-a wanna understand-a. It will be-a a lot of blah-a blah-a blah-a and-a I don’t wanna-a hear-a that.

    1. Aw, poor guy. But I couldn’t help but to fall out of my chair laughing at that.
      Thatsa fora sure-a.

  38. So who gets the empty Force India seat? The car is obviously fast….

    Nelsinho?

    1. Probably Liuzzi

  39. Ferrari will be Fisichella’s seventh different team. Before that, he drove for Minardi, Jordan, Benneton, Sauber, Renault and Force India… that’s a record on the current field, because not even Barrichello, the most experienced driver in history, could match this, having driven for “only” five of them: Jordan, Stewart, Ferrari, Honda and Brawn… Trulli also raced for five teams: Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and Toyota…

  40. Well, sorry, Button is the closest, with six teams: Williams, Benneton, Renault, BAR, Honda and Brawn

    1. True, but both drivers raced for teams that changed identities: Fisichella drove for Benetton and Renault, both the same team, and Jordan and Force India, ditto.

      Button also drove for Benetton/Renault plus BAR, Honda and Brawn, which were all the same outfit. So strictly speaking, Button’s driven for three different teams!

      1. Good point, and funny to remember how long Button has been with the same people, the same factory…

  41. Fisi is really

    HAPPY

    with his new gift…

  42. Mike "the bike" Schumacher
    3rd September 2009, 21:55

    Excellent news, but it looks like the end of fissi’s racing career, if he’s going to be test driver. His potential was never really fulfilled but I guess he had his chance in the 05,06 renaults.

  43. Great news for Giancarlo, Ferrari, Italy, and Formula 1 in general. In fact this is some of the best news we’ve had all year. And a big kudos to Vijay Mallya for letting this take place, I know it must have been hard for him after Fisi did so incredibly well at Spa.

    1. If the Force India car is that good then he should have kept his place . Can somebody explain , why is a ferri seat bigger than a possile podium finish again ????

      1. I had remarked in my earlier post that Fisichella’s move to ferrari is more to do with his emotions than him really wanting to excell with them. He has resigned to the fact the he’ll not get a racing seat in 2010. But one victory could have changed his fortunes. But when i said here in this blog that it was a bad move by Fisi, i was labeled mad,insane & stuff. Just goes to show how ignorant & ill-informed some of the people here are. But that’s ok, i don’t give a damn to what such people think. I dunno what Luca Cordero di Montezemolo means when he says Fisi will remain with the team as a “Test driver”?? In-season testing is supposed to be banned, isn’t it? The winter testing milage is also very limited, so it would make perfect sense that most of that milage is covered by “regular” drivers kimi & massa. I dunno if Fisi will be of any significant help for ferrari in 2010. So in essence he has blown it for himself. Look whats happened to all those test drivers. Badoer,Wurz, De La Rosa. Their racing career is over cuz they choose to test with bigger teams instead of racing for smaller teams. Fisi has committed the same blunder, so it curtains down on his racing career.

        But what astonished my was the moment he choose to quit FI. They might potentially have the faster of the 2 cars at monza. Wouldn’t it be nice if Sutil sticks his FI on pole & Fisi struggles to get into Q2?

  44. Is that a pic of the 2009 brazilian gp podium in the background? I wouldn’t want to be reminded of being 1 point shy off the world championship all the time. :S
    But maybe that’s just me.

  45. Now that Force India could take a victory, according to himself, I just hope he made a right choice, but even if the car is worst… it’s his dream… I guess for the Italians, it’s normal to have that final goal to end up in Ferrari, because it’s one of the big teams and is Italian.

    Now when I hear people saying ALL drivers want to go to Ferrari, just make me laugh, because those guys can get pretty egocentric… They only see themselves and they’re at the top of the world and all other teams are just hovering down there… no biggy… Dream on ragazzi… lol

    And I sure hope Giancarlos keeps his seat for next year. With Massa returning, the music would stop and the BAS**RD Alonso will be standing… Good for us all!

    1. Yes, because Alonso is the cancer that is killing Formula One.

  46. good for him, he looks really happy in those pictures!

    i personally think that it was not a good move for fisi, and i hate ferrari for always “stealing” drivers (expecially mid season), it actually disgusts me at there attitude, its not very sporty.

    anyway for fisi, im happy for him, he looks like he is realy enjoying himself at that team, unfortunatly ferrari is going to kick him out the door when massa does return, even if he blows away the feild in the rest of the season

    1. Well, McLaren’s quite sporty that way… stealing chief engineers, sponsors and drivers from any damned team. Worst affected were Williams and yet you never see Sir Frank speak a word about it. I really love his attitude to life and have immense respect for him. Ferrari, it isn’t so bad. They tried to do whatever they could do, before resorting to this. Schumacher, he wasn’t able to race, Badoer was not quick enough (i know it is quite an understatement).

      What would you do, if you are running a team and your reserve drivers are not able to race???

    2. I think its a stupid move from Fisi . Unless he proves himself by having a podium by end of the season

  47. if alonso could get out of his renault contract, i’m sure ferrari would have snapped him up faster than fisi. the force india ferrari engine contract may have something to do with it but i don’t think it’s a case of fisi being preferred over alonso. great timing with the italian GP. hope he does well.

  48. Shreyas Pathak
    4th September 2009, 2:23

    I have a different question.
    The 8 points that Fisichella took at spa…will he take those points with him to Ferrari …. or does force India keep the points… or both of them keep the points…

    how is it all going to work out for the championship table?

    1. yep they all keep their points.

      1. Oviously Force India keeps the constructors points and Fisi keeps the drivers

  49. Not a bad move

  50. Good for Fisi to (likely) end his career driving for Ferrari. Here’s hoping for a win at Monza, which would easily be the most popular of the year!

  51. @Shreyas Pathak

    I’m sure the driver’s points will stay with him and the constructor points will stay with the team. So Fisi will have his 8 and so will FI.

    Taking into account Fisi’s age and long career this is a good move. I’m sure Fisi has his own goals and doesn’t need to be on the grid. He is not a rookie driver. A retirement as a test driver for Ferrari seems very comfortable and prestigious. He can still take part in other series such as LeMans.

  52. Fisi has made the right choice. He could stay with Force India for another year and finish his career or he could cut short his career and end it in a Ferrari, racing for his home manufacturer, and have a chance to finish on the podium every race.
    Lets just hope he doesn’t end it the same way Coulthard did last year and crash in the first corner.

    1. to be fair to Coulthard, I would describe that last race as “get taken out in the first corner” and not “crash in the first corner”.

      That said, I quite agree, he has made an excellent choice and it seems well deserved.

  53. Indranil Dudhane
    4th September 2009, 4:29

    Don’t quite get why Fisi signed as a test/reserver driver for 2010. With his current exploit, it wouldn’t have been that difficult to find a racing seat for 2010, right? Mallaya would have been more than happy to keep him in that Force India car.

    1. It has been rumoured for a long time now that Liuzzi has a contract to race for Force India in 2010. And Sutil I think brings quite a bit of sponsorship to the team. So no, there wouldn’t be a seat for Fisi there in 2010, and Force India have said as much.

  54. Wow, I wish I have a retirement along these lines when the time comes.

    Fisi’s leaving on a phenomenal high at Force-India with the Pole and 2nd place at one of the greatest and most challenging circuits on the track. And he gets about half a season driving the red car. Then he gets to peacefully sit out his golden years with his home team. Just perfect.

    A deserved reward for a long career I must say. Good for him.

  55. So wonderful for Fisi. Imagine growing up and dreaming of it, and for all that time. Finally getting the chance. So fantastic. Wow. That’s a well earned grin!

  56. Well done Fisi. But why were you overlooked all these years by the Scuderia? A competitive Italian driver. I guess it had something to do with the Schu Program. Mike was only in it if he alone was the star. At least you’ll get five races to live the dream. I wish you well. I wonder though. Will Alonso at Ferrari be like the way he was with Mclaren? Does he need #1 status as a mental blanket to feel secure with the team and himself. Mike needed it. I wish there were more drivers like Mansell, Piquet, Prost, and Lauda. They didn’t have a problem with competing against other champion caliber drivers on the same team. That made their championship pure. And their record. Oh well. Lord, bless the FOTA, and the FIA. Bless Massa. And bless the fans who support their form of entertainment. Amen.

    1. I wish there were more drivers like Mansell, Piquet, Prost, and Lauda.

      Wondering why you failed to mention Senna?

      1. 1986 might have had something to do with it – Senna insisted that Johnny Dumfries became his team-mate rather than Elio de Angelis because he thought he needed a slower wingman. The reason being that Lotus’ limited resources meant it could only supply a good car to one driver or give both drivers a mediocre car.

        The flip-side of this is that in 1988 and 1989, he had Alain Prost as his team-mate. They brought out the best in each other. They brought out the worst in each other as well, but that’s off-topic.

  57. It’d be stupid on Ferrari’s part to release Raikkonen. Kimi obviously still has ‘got it’, and Massa is simply not on par with Raikkonen in terms of driving skill neither is he racing fit at this moment.

    On top of that, he will forever have complications to do with this accident. I feel for Felipe, I love him as a driver (after Kimi and Schuey) but the difficult decision Ferrari has to make is to bring Alonso in for Massa.

    1. I think Massa is on par with Kimi. Massa may not have the raw talent, but he works harder at perfecting his art form compared to kimi. Its a case of the hardworking man being equal to the lazy genius who doesn’t work on his potential.

      1. can agree more…

        1. i mean “can’t” agree more…

    2. Don’t forget that Schumacher got back better than before in 1999, when he broke his leg… Yeah, it’s true, he wasn’t hit in the head… the last case of a driver with a fractured skull that came back winning, that I can remember, is Mika Hakkinen after that terrible crash in Adelaide, 1995…

  58. What a fairytale it would be, indeed, should G. Fisichella win the Gran Premio d’Italia

    However, he’d not only be the 1st Italian to win it (outright and not just for Ferrari) since L. Scarfiotti in 1966. He would also be only the 6th driver to win a (World Championship) GP on his 1st outing for Ferrari.

    Previous 1st-time-for-Ferrari-winners:
    » L. Musso, 1956 (shared drive with J.M. Fangio)
    » G. Baghetti, 1961
    » M.G. Andretti, 1971
    » N.E.J. Mansell, 1989
    » K.M. Räikkönen, 2007

  59. Goodluck to Giancarlo Fisichella at Ferrari. It’s not just the driver who can make the results good. It’s always a team effort. Lately Ferrari has had some errors specially on the pit stop. They’re currently just at 3rd position with only 56 points, which is very far from the leading Brawn Team with 128 points.

  60. Fisi seems to suit those colours v.well imo. Good for him

  61. How big is that grin on his face! Great news for Fisi, Ferrari fans and Italians. Hope he goes well.

  62. Don’t expect too much of Fisichella; At least for Monza.

  63. Fisichella keeps the drivers championship points and Force India the constructors championship points…

  64. I think Fisichella is a very fast driver but needs to be pushed all the time. I remember a race that the engineer had to be incessantly encouraging the driver to accelerate, but good luck for the new reserve, and his Italian dream. It’s really a retirement with glory and this begins just in Monza, the sacred temple of motor racing a place where unfortunately we may not see these machines accelerating above 350 km/h or very likely below that due to the limited V8 and also the question of saving engine for the next 5 races that will decide the championship which is headed to brawn do “beard and hair” just like how we speak here in Brazil. In the heyday of the V10 engines it was easily passed the 370 just before the strong braking of de pit lane. Some of the current drivers like Barrichello, Fisichela, Raikkonen, Alonso, Button also have had the pleasure of experiencing this V10s’feeling. I hope Giancarlo brings the girl home to the red team add the points that will guarantee the 3rd place in the constructors’ championship, those points that fail to add up to Badoers’ weaker performance, or THE GREATEST VEXAME OF ALL TIME exactly what was that ridiculous freak show. Anyway, good luck for Fisichella. Cheers !

  65. according to f1-live Fisi could grab a racing seat for him in 2010 as well: http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090909113638.shtml

    considering that Ferrari loaned Luca Badoer to Minardi in 1999 despite being under contract for testing purposes, could support this idea.
    if there will be a need for another replacement in Ferrari next year, it would be useful to get Fisi racing at other teams, so i don’t think Ferrari would deny this opportunity.
    the possible targets are Williams and Sauber i think.

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