Forget Button and Barrichello and Vettel and Webber. Forget about RaceFixGate. This weekend’s race at Monza is about one man: Giancarlo Fisichella.
On Sunday, Fisi – nicknamed the ‘Roman Cockney’, presumably for his cheery, streetwise demeanour and a love of whelks and jellied eels – will attempt to become the first Italian to win the Monza GP since Ludovico Scarfiotti way back in 1966. Driving for Ferrari in his very first race for the Scuderia. In front of 100,000 baying Italians. Talk about pressure.
Though the 36-year-old’s route to the Ferrari race seat has been convoluted to say the least – Massa’s injury followed by Schumi’s bad neck followed by Luca Badoer’s extraordinary lack of pace – the man from Rome is, in true Cockney fashion, bleedin’ chuffed to be there.
“I’m in seventh heaven,” Fisichella said this week. “I still can’t believe it, that the dream of my life comes true. I want to thank Ferrari.”
So, can he win it? In a word, yes. Maybe. Monza is a fast track with a couple of long straights that should favour the KERS teams – Ferrari, McLaren and Renault, the latter running it for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix in May – and one that Fisichella knows well, having raced there since his F3 days back in 1992.
He’s on a hot run of form, too, after that brilliant second place for Force India in the Belgian Grand Prix. A couple of sceptics in the Top Gear office have suggested that he could have pushed Raikkonen even closer for the win, but eased off, both to make sure of Force India’s first ever points… and to keep on the right side of his future employers.
Top Gear is about to jump on a Milan-bound plane to spend the weekend hanging out with the tifosi – the legendary Italian F1 faithful who are already setting up their temporary stands around Monza.
We’ll do our best to post some updates from trackside, but if you don’t hear from us, assume our flimsy cover (Ferrari flags and comedy moustaches, obviously) has been blown and we’ve been torn limb from limb for being feckless British interlopers…
When all the drivers go out on soft tyres, Fisi will be the last on the grid. There´s no way he´s going to win. Why does anyone even think about stuff like that?
Of course Fisi can win it enlil! He’s a fast guy in a car that’s proven to be quick on a track that was made for KERS (or is it the other way round, don’t think they had KERS in the ’30s) Anyway, Fisi can win it, end of.
Fisi must be kicking himself looking at the practice laptimes thinking he could be in the front instead of Sutil had he stayed at Force India. Instead he´s dead last in his red car “fulfilling his dream”. It´s kinda ironic though.
Sure KERS helps a lot but Ferrari has not been very good at fast tracks where very little wings are used. And when the car is completely new and different and you use the KERS for the first time, it´s a little too much to expect Fisichella to win. He would still have to beat his team mate who´s now red hot. Hopefully Fisi will do good though.
I think its a bit unfair on fisi that he’s dead last
soz about writing
If Ferrari must win another race, I wouldn’t mind too much if it was Fisi – hard task though it is. Still, whatever the result, he’ll be happy just to race for them at Monza.
Fisi is a very fast and good driver, but he can’t win at Monza for two simple reasons: 1) The Ferrari he is driving isnt as good here, as it was in Spa, so winning would need the front runners to have some problems. 2) He probably needs a whole weekend to get the max out of himself and the car.
But next weekend, who knows?
a bi of subject but there is a new f1 game out soon take a look
Kimster, there isn’t a Grand Prix next weekend!
& Sam Philip, this isn’t the Monza GP, it’s the Italian Grand Prix, the Monza Grand Prix was a completedly separate event to the Italian Grand Prix, which hasn’t been held since 1952. So it’s pretty much imposible for Fisichella to win the Monza GP this weekend!!!
i think it is brilliant having fisi at ferrari it will let him show his full potential
f1 game looks brilliant
get well soon massa
RAIKANEN FIRST FISI SECOND
This idiotic testing ban brings drivers in trouble who jump seats halfway the season, he was last today!
Why the hell isn´t he allowed to do some laps to get used at Fiorano, this ain´t F1, this is prison!
He might even regret with his old teammate fastest today..
bring a camera…
Sure but not to picture the cars. When will the Fia announce to bring back the cars in shape? I mean a bookcase on the back and a snowplow in the front doesn´t make the cars cool and goodlooking.
It’s not about being “cool or goodlooking”
he is going to do brilliantly. he will almost certainly finish on the grid. unless he is taken out by one of the renaults…
I am a prophet with clarvoyant powers, so hear me out. Fisichella will do better than Badoer (aka Bad-doer), but it will take him several minutes to get used to the new equipment before he will appear truely competative. His place on the podium or off the podium relates to where he will start on the grid and if the car will last plus how fluent the pitstops will work. I hope you find this helpful in your speculations.
To win he has to beat Kimi too doesnt he?
Unlikely.
don’t think ferrari showed true form in practice sp expect kimi to qualify 4th with fisi directly behind and then they will obviously get the jump at the start. that is unless mclaren are in front in which case i would do a bit of kers to help with the start and as soon as the chicane is done just glue my finger to the kers and defend when necasary
Fisico last but 0.8″ behind Kimi, probably running on a full tnak to get used to the car pace… not bad at all, see vettel, button, rosberg, very close.
let’s see. he will score points for sure, a podium is a stretch.
off topic,why is it all the drivers say “for sure”???
really gets on my t*ts.
ahh comon guys..
Ferrari uses the first two practice sessions for testing on which compound tyre will be the best for the circuit. they dont run the car light like other teams and top the practice sessions to ohh look at me like williams. its all down to quallifying.
my prediction.
1)Kimi Raikkonen
2)Giancarlo Fisichella
Sutil qualified 2nd in Force India!!
Maybe Fisi should have had stayed in Force India!
He only managed 14th in the Fezza!
#15 are you getting the point of F1???
it´s a game, a sport, for pleasure you know
compare this yrs mclaren to that of last yr
its like comparing mother theresa to madonna
Yeh, this years car is sooo mucj better without all the stuff stuck on the outside!!!!!!
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