Fisichella Moves to Ferrari for Monza
Giancarlo Fisichella Leaves Force India for Italian Grand Prix
Sep 4, 2009
Giancarlo Fisichella will fulfil a long held ambition on September 13th, when he drives a Ferrari Formula 1 car in his home race, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Fisichella, 36, has been signed to replace Luca Badoer and will partner Kimi Raikkonen. Badoer himself was brought in to replace Felipe Massa, as the Brazilian recovers from injury.
Fisichella's Move from Force India to Ferrari
The 2009 Formula 1 season had been a frustrating one for Fisichella and Force India. Despite several strong showings they had yet to score any points by the time of the Belgian Grand Prix. In a remarkable change of fortune Fisichella claimed pole at Spa and finished a close second in the race, just behind Raikkonen's winning Ferrari.
Fisichella's Spa performance certainly attracted the attention of Ferrari. For the last two races Luca Badoer has been substituting for Felipe Massa, who was injured in a horrific crash during qualifying at the Hungaroring. After ten years away from Grand Prix racing Badoer struggled to get up to speed and has been well off the pace.
Fisichella will replace Badoer for the rest of the 2009 Formula 1 season, beginning with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Fisichella's new deal with Ferrari also sees him retained for the 2010 Formula 1 season as the team's reserve driver. The move comes with the blessing of Force India boss Vijay Mallya, who was quoted on the BBC Formula 1 website:
"For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception. No-one should stand in the way of this. The agreement will secure Fisichella's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this."
Fisichella will have plenty of support during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, as Monza is flooded by the fanatical tifosi, eager to see the red cars of Ferrari score a home victory.
Giancarlo Fisichella in Formula 1
Giancarlo Fisichella is one of the most experienced drivers in Formula 1 history, having made his debut in 1996 for Minardi. He has also driven for Jordan, Benetton, Renault, Sauber and Force India during his long career. To date he has won three Grands Prix, and will see his drive with Ferrari as an opportunity to add to that tally.
The 2009 Italian Grand Prix takes place on September 13th at the Monza Autodrome. Fisichella's maiden Grand Prix driving for Ferrari gets underway at 2pm CET (1pm GMT).
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