Giancarlo Fisichella: history with Ferrari, Force India and Fernando Alonso

Tue Jun 20 2023

Giancarlo Fisichella's Career

Giancarlo Fisichella won the Malaysian Grand Prix for his third and final win in Formula One.
Fisichella's career was more modest than his talent deserved.
Fisichella has fond memories of his five races with Ferrari, including racing at Monza.
Tom Clarkson interviews Giancarlo Fisichella on F1 Beyond the Grid podcast.
Fisichella had a dramatic career, from being awarded his first win five days after the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix to taking pole for Force India in 2009.
Driving for Renault, Fisichella claimed early victories in both 2005 and 2006 but never became world champion due to bad luck and Fernando Alonso's speed.
Fisichella created history for Force India by following that pole in Belgium with a podium to secure the team's first-ever points.
Fisichella drove a hybrid car at Fiorano recently and enjoyed it despite differences compared to V8s and V10s he raced before. He still races competitively today at age 50.
Fisichella watches Formula One races occasionally and was impressed by the qualifying session at Monaco this year, especially Fernando Alonso's performance.

Fernando Alonso is still operating on a high level and has more experience than in the past.
Age affects racing drivers by making them feel more tired during stints.
Jet lag affects older drivers more, as it is difficult to sleep overnight.
Giancarlo Fisichella is happy and proud of his 14-year career in Formula One, but wishes he had won a championship.
Fisichella believes that he deserved better and could have won more races if not for technical problems and bad luck.
Flavio Briatore was a straightforward boss who helped Fisichella win championships with Renault.
Jean-Carlo Minardi put Fisichella in the car for his first season in 1996.

Jacques Villeneuve joined Salba to work closer with Ferrari and race with the Ferrari engine.
Salba was the best option for Jacques as there were only a couple of seats free in 2004.
Jacques won his first Formula One race in Brazil in 2003 after a massive crash brought out the red flag, but he was initially not declared the winner due to a mistake by FIA.
Eddie Jordan informed Jacques that he was declared the winner and they could celebrate his victory.
Eddie Jordan gave Jacques a competitive car in his first full season of F1 and was brilliant with young drivers.

Two Jordan's tripped over each other, causing a crash.
Ralph Schumacher was Edoardo's teammate in 1997 and they were both competitive with each other.
Intra-team rivalries are less hostile now compared to when Edoardo was racing.
Edoardo worked well with Alex Wertz at Benetton.
Jenson Button struggled in the 2001 season due to the car's engine.
Edoardo scored his best podium finish at Spa in 2001 and also performed well at Montreal due to low grip levels.
Low grip levels could be what brings out the best in Edoardo.

Giancarlo Fisichella outperformed a young Felipe Massa in 2004, but could see that he was very quick and had potential to be a future star.
Fernando Alonso was different from other teammates because he was very good in all circumstances, especially in the race where he was consistent and focused with good communication skills.
Alonso was also political within the team, trying to get better equipment and strategy than his teammates.
Fisichella did not feel that the team favored Alonso over him once they lost the possibility to fight for the championship.
Fisichella and Alonso worked well together, sharing telemetry, ideas, and problem-solving before races.
The Renault car in 2007 was not quick enough for Fisichella to score points or podiums due to switching from Michelin tires to Bridgestone tires which required a different driving style.
In 2009, Force India (formerly Jordan) had a new owner and improved car which allowed Fisichella to be much quicker at Spa-Francorchamps.

New aerodynamics package made the car completely different and faster.
Driver expected to score a point or get in top 10 for qualifying session.
Driver unexpectedly got pole position despite others thinking he would pit early.
Safety car caused driver to lose lead and finish second behind Kimi Raikkonen.
DRS would have helped driver win the race if it existed then.
Driver received a call from Ferrari after the race and agreed to drive for them despite knowing it would be difficult due to differences in driving style and lack of testing.
Driver crashed during practice due to difficulty in driving Ferrari's car.

Giancarlo Fisichella struggled to score points for Ferrari in the 2009 season.
Fisichella believes he could have stayed in Formula One if he had continued with Force India and scored more podiums.
Italian drivers face immense pressure from the media when racing for Ferrari.
Kimi Raikkonen was not very helpful as a teammate, but Fisichella spent a lot of time with engineers.
It is difficult for Italian drivers to get into Formula One due to limited seats and the need for good sponsors and teams.
Ferrari attracts too much attention compared to Italian drivers, making it harder for them to succeed in Formula One.
Fisichella won Le Mans twice, which requires intense preparation and teamwork among three drivers.
He does not plan on trying to conquer other races like IndyCar at his age of 50, but he enjoys being a DJ.

Giancarlo Fisichella is a DJ and has played in many places including Ibiza.
He was the ambassador for the launch of Balloton Park, a new track in Hungary.
Fisichella's son Christopher is not a car driver but a university student who used to play football.
Fisichella loves playing football and is part of the National Italian Driver's team.
Stefano Dominikali, Formula One boss, deserves credit for improving the sport since Bernie and Max's days.
Dominikali has an unenviable task of trying to please everyone and all fans both old and new.

New episode of F1 Beyond The Grid podcast is out now.
The episode features Lei Keep and other big names from the paddock.
Formula Y's latest episode is a quick fire question special with Lawrence Barretto and Bernie Collins.
Formula Y can be found by searching for it on Friday.
Next week's guest on F1 Beyond The Grid will be another great personality from the world of Formula One.