Giancarlo Fisichella
Nation: | Italy | ||||||||
Formula 1 world championship | |||||||||
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First start: | 1996 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||
Last start: | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2009 | ||||||||
Constructors | |||||||||
1996 Minardi • 1997 Jordan • 1998–2001 Benetton • 2002–2003 Jordan • 2004 Sauber • 2005–2007 Renault • 2008–2009 Force India • 2009 Ferrari | |||||||||
statistics | |||||||||
World Cup balance: | World Cup fourth ( 2006 ) | ||||||||
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World Cup points : | 275 | ||||||||
Podiums : | 19th | ||||||||
Leadership laps : | 216 over 1,126.7 km |
Nation: | Italy | ||||||||
DTM | |||||||||
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First race: | Hockenheimring I 1995 | ||||||||
Last race: | Suzuka 1996 | ||||||||
Teams (manufacturers) | |||||||||
1995 Alfa Corse 2 • 1996 Alfa Corse ( Alfa Romeo ) | |||||||||
statistics | |||||||||
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Podiums: | 7th | ||||||||
Overall wins: | - | ||||||||
Points: | 169 |
Giancarlo Fisichella (born January 14, 1973 in Rome ) is an Italian automobile driver and racing entrepreneur.
He drove in Formula 1 from 1996 to 2009 and won three races there. He achieved his best overall placement in 2006 when he was fourth in the world championship. Fisichella has contested 229 Formula 1 races. From mid-2009 to 2012 Fisichella was under contract with the traditional Italian racing team Ferrari , where she was test and reserve driver from 2010.
In 1994 Fisichella was the Italian Formula 3 champion.
Driver career
Beginnings in motorsport
From 1984 to 1988 Fisichella took part in the Minikart Championship in Italy, and in 1989 he finished second in the European Kart Championship. A year later he was already runner-up at the World Cup in the same category. After further karting successes, he switched to formula racing in 1992 and took part in the Italian Formula 3 championship for the first time . He finished the season eighth, and in 1993 he finished second. Finally, in 1994, he won the Italian Formula 3 championship with ten victories. In 1995 he took part in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and the International Touring Car Championship (ITC) in an Alfa Romeo . He was tenth in the ITC and 15th in the DTM. He distinguished himself so that the Minardi - Formula 1 team him a cockpit for the 1996 season offered. At the same time, he competed for the entire ITC season and finished sixth overall with six podium finishes.
formula 1
Minardi (1996)
On March 10, 1996, Fisichella made her debut at the Australian Grand Prix in Formula 1, but retired with clutch damage. In seven other races, the Italian was barely able to put himself in the limelight due to the inferior material. After the Grand Prix of Great Britain he had to vacate his cockpit for Giovanni Lavaggi , who was equipped with plenty of sponsorship money, and limited himself to further assignments in the ITC and as a test driver for Ferrari for the rest of the year . For the 1997 season , team owner Eddie Jordan decided to offer the young Italian a regular seat in one of his racing cars. Fisichella accepted the offer.
Jordan I (1997)
The German debutant Ralf Schumacher was put at the Roman's side as a team mate . Since the Jordan team had built a fast car that was reliable over long distances, both drivers had the opportunity to achieve good results and thus recommend themselves for higher tasks. After Schumacher had a slight advantage over Fisichella at the beginning of the season, the Italian outperformed the German by mid-season at the latest. At the German Grand Prix , Fisichella surprisingly qualified for second place on the grid and led the race for a short time before bowing to the Austrian Gerhard Berger and later having to give up due to a technical defect. At the latest after the Roman took second place behind Michael Schumacher on the Spa-Francorchamps track known as the driver's route in the pouring rain , he was considered the season's greatest young talent. With 20 points, he finished eighth in the world championship and was bought back for the next season by Benetton team boss Flavio Briatore . Both Jordan and Benetton claimed Fisichella's services for the 1998 season. Fisichella was awarded Benetton after negotiations with the Contract Recognition Boards and later in the High Court in London.
Benetton (1998-2001)
However, the Benetton team could no longer build on their old successes. Briatore left the management to the Englishman David Richards , Renault had withdrawn as an engine supplier and some technicians had migrated to the competition. Fisichella got another newcomer as a team-mate: the Austrian Alexander Wurz , who had previously been a test driver at Benetton and who successfully represented the sick Gerhard Berger for three races in 1997. However, you could not compete for victories and the fight for the world championship. The Italian made it onto the podium twice in 1998 and achieved his first pole position in the chaotic qualification training at the A1 ring , but in the final accounts he fell by one place compared to the previous year. Also in 1999 it did not go better: the Benetton racing cars were too slow and the customer engines Supertec too weak, so it was enough for Fisichella only at odd points standings.
After no increase in the year 2000 either, experts said that Fisichella's talent had been wasted. However, Fisichella stayed with Benetton in the 2001 season . He hoped that he would get better by the fact that Renault had officially returned as an engine supplier and the Benetton team would take over a year later. And Briatore also took over the position of team boss again. Nonetheless, Fisichella and his new team-mate Jenson Button only reached the top ten with difficulty in the first half of the season. At Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Fisichella surprisingly managed to finish third. Briatore offered Fisichella a contract extension without increasing the Italian's salary. Fisichella refused, referring to the lack of respect Briatores had for his performance and the long period of suffering in not sufficiently competitive Benetton racers. His ex-team boss Eddie Jordan, however, offered Fisichella a well-paid contract for two years, which the Roman immediately signed. He was hoping that with the Honda factory-supported Jordan he would have better chances of top positions in the future.
Jordan II (2002-2003)
However, Fisichella's return came at a difficult time for the team as it was under pressure to justify the successes of previous years and the support of engine supplier Honda. The Jordan of 2002 was aerodynamically too complicated. Fisichella and his Japanese team-mate Takuma Satō were only rarely able to score points, so that at the end of the year, as expected, Honda withdrew as a factory partner of Jordan and concentrated entirely on the rival BAR . For the 2003 season , the team had to buy customer engines from Ford . The team was doing poorly financially, so that the second driver was the Irish-British Ralph Firman , who was hardly noticed in junior formulas for his successes, but brought a lot of money with him. It was in this unfavorable position, of all places, that Fisichella achieved his first victory at the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix , when he overtook opponent after opponent in the rain and made it to the top with a pit stop by the leading Kimi Raikkonen before the race due to serious accidents by Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso canceled. For the next season, Peter Sauber offered him a place in his team, which he accepted for lack of better alternatives.
Clean (2004)
In the 2004 season , Fisichella was able to regularly fight for championship points again, even if the Sauber C23 was not capable of wins or podiums. Above all, the Italian's attention was drawn to the fact that he had his team-mate Felipe Massa, who was considered a great talent, under control at all times. At the British Grand Prix he started from last place on the grid and finished sixth with a full tank of fuel, which earned him the recognition of his colleagues and the trade press. When Flavio Briatore disembarked the Italian Jarno Trulli from the top team Renault and Fisichella offered the Renault cockpit from 2005, he immediately accepted.
Renault (2005-2007)
In 2005 , Fisichella met the Spaniard Fernando Alonso at Renault. The winter tests showed in advance that the Renault R25 was a victorious car. For the first time in his long career, the Italian was in an absolutely top car. Fisichella was able to win the opening race in Australia, while Alonso finished third after a few problems. After that, however, Fisichella was unable to beat his teammate regularly for the first time and was clearly outbid by the Spaniard during the season. While Alonso was world champion, Fisichella finished the season in fifth place in the world championship. On his favorite track, Suzuka , he had to hand over the victory he believed to be safe to Kimi Raikkonen with one lap to go.
For 2006 , he promised improvement and justified his first Renault season by getting used to the team and switching to Michelin tires. But also in the second year his teammate Alonso achieved better results, won seven races and took his second world title, while Fisichella had to be satisfied with a win and regular top positions. In the final ranking he was able to improve to fourth place. When Alonso left the team for McLaren, Fisichella set the world title as a goal for the 2007 season . In winter he had to revise his statement again after it became clear that the Renault R27 was a bad design and was not suitable for victories. Fisichella was able to clearly beat his new team-mate Heikki Kovalainen in the first half of the season in an internal duel, but in the second half he left the Italian behind. While the Finn now regularly scored points and finished second at the Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji, the only podium finish for Renault this season, Fisichella was barely able to stand out. He finished the season in eighth place with 21 points - one place behind Kovalainen.
After Flavio Briatore did not want to determine his next year's driver pairing even after the end of the season, it was clear to the observers that Fisichella would not get a new contract with Renault. On December 10, 2007, Renault actually announced that it would compete in 2008 with returnees Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet junior .
Force India (2008-2009)
In the absence of alternatives, Fisichella tried to get a cockpit for the new Force India Formula One Team and took part in test drives for the Indian racing team. In these test drives, Fisichella convinced with the fastest times of all participants. On January 10, 2008, he was officially confirmed alongside Adrian Sutil as a regular driver for the 2008 season.
At the beginning of the season, Fisichella surprised with two twelfth and one tenth place. In the further course of the season he remained behind these performances and remained without World Cup points. In the rainy qualification for the Italian Grand Prix he reached 12th place, which put him ahead of the reigning world champion Raikkonen and the world championship leader Lewis Hamilton . This was the first time that a Force India could advance into the second qualifying session. In the overall standings, Fisichella left his team mate Sutil behind because of the better individual results and took 19th place in the drivers' standings.
For the 2009 season, Force India switched from Ferrari to Mercedes engines, which were considered more drivable and reliable. At first, however, the year began as the old one had ended: in the back of the field. Until the middle of the season, neither Fisichella nor his teammate Sutil could collect any championship points. From the German Grand Prix onwards, there was a clear upward trend and both drivers regularly qualified in the front midfield. At the Belgian Grand Prix , Fisichella then surprisingly took pole position - the first for Force India. In addition, in the race, in which he had to admit defeat to the Ferrari driver Raikkonen, he took the first podium for the Indian team in second and also scored the first ever championship points for the racing team.
Ferrari (2009)
Soon after Fisichella's appearance in Belgium, the trade press launched the first rumors that he would be replacing the disappointing Luca Badoer at Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix , who in turn stood in for the regular driver Felipe Massa who had crashed in Hungary . On September 3, 2009, this rumor was finally officially confirmed by Ferrari. Fisichella contested the remaining five races of the season for Ferrari without getting any championship points.
GT-Sport (since 2010)
In 2010 Fisichella switched to GT racing for the Ferrari works team AF Corse . In the Le Mans Series he was runner-up in the LMGT2 category together with his team-mates Jean Alesi and Toni Vilander . The three drivers also competed in the Le Mans 24-hour race and finished fourth in the GT2 class. He also took part in three races in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and was a test and reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari in the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship . In 2011 Fisichella stayed with AF Corse in the Le Mans Series. Together with his teammate Gianmaria Bruni , he won the LMGTE-Pro rating twice and was ultimately the winner of this rating together with Bruni. In addition, he took part in two races of the ALMS, in which he once won the GT classification, and in the 24-hour race of Le Mans , in which he achieved second place in the LMGTE Pro classification together with Bruni and Vilander , on. Fisichella was also a Formula 1 test driver at Ferrari for another season in 2011 .
In 2012 Fisichella remained a test driver at Ferrari.
Entrepreneurial career
Between 2006 and 2009, the Fisichella Motor Sport (FMS) racing team competed in the Superleague, Formula BMW and the GP2 series. The GP2 engagement was a collaboration with Coloni Motorsport from Perugia. The operation was largely funded by Fisichella, while Coloni was responsible for the day-to-day organization. In July 2009, Fisichella separated from Coloni; the GP2 racing team was renamed Party Poker Racing Scuderia Coloni shortly afterwards . The other racing activities of FMS were also taken over by Coloni.
statistics
Career stations
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Statistics in Formula 1
Grand Prix victories
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general overview
season | team | chassis | engine | run | Victories | Second | Third | Poles | nice Race laps |
Points | WM-Pos. |
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1996 | Minardi team | Minardi M195B | Ford 3.0 V8 | 8th | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1997 | B&H Total Jordan Peugeot | Jordan 197 | Peugeot 3.0 V10 | 17th | - | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 20th | 8th. |
1998 | Mild Seven Benetton Playlife | Benetton B198 | Playlife 3.0 V10 | 16 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | 16 | 9. |
1999 | Mild Seven Benetton Playlife | Benetton B199 | Playlife 3.0 V10 | 16 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 13 | 9. |
2000 | Mild Seven Benetton Playlife | Benetton B200 | Playlife 3.0 V10 | 17th | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 18th | 6th |
2001 | Mild Seven Benetton Renault | Benetton B201 | Renault 3.0 V10 | 17th | - | - | 1 | - | - | 8th | 11. |
2002 | DHL Jordan Honda | Jordan EJ12 | Honda 3.0 V10 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | 7th | 11. |
2003 | Jordan Ford | Jordan EJ13 | Ford 3.0 V10 | 16 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 12. |
2004 | Clean Petronas | Clean C23 | Petronas 3.0 V10 | 18th | - | - | - | - | - | 22nd | 11. |
2005 | Mild Seven Renault F1 Team | Renault R25 | Renault 3.0 V10 | 18th | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 58 | 5. |
2006 | Mild Seven Renault F1 Team | Renault R26 | Renault 2.4 V8 | 18th | 1 | - | 4th | 1 | - | 72 | 4th |
2007 | ING Renault F1 Team | Renault R27 | Renault 2.4 V8 | 17th | - | - | - | - | - | 21st | 8th. |
2008 | Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM01 | Ferrari 2.4 V8 | 18th | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19th |
2009 | Force India F1 Team | Force India VJM02 | Mercedes 2.4 V8 | 12 | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | 8th | 15th |
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F60 | Ferrari 2.4 V8 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
total | 229 | 3 | 7th | 9 | 4th | 2 | 275 |
Single results
season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14th | 15th | 16 | 17th | 18th | 19th |
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1996 | |||||||||||||||||||
DNF | 13 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 8th | DNF | 11 | ||||||||||||
1997 | |||||||||||||||||||
DNF | 8th | DNF | 4th | 6th | 9 | 3 | 9 | 7th | 11 * | DNF | 2 | 4th | 4th | DNF | 7th | 11 | |||
1998 | |||||||||||||||||||
DNF | 6th | 7th | DNF | DNF | 2 | 2 | 9 | 5 | DNF | 7th | 8th | DNF | 8th | 6th | 8th | ||||
1999 | |||||||||||||||||||
4th | DNF | 5 | 5 | 9 | 2 | DNF | 7th | 12 * | DNF | DNF | 11 | DNF | DNF | 11 | 14 * | ||||
2000 | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | 2 | 11 | 7th | 9 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 9 | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF | 11 | DNF | 14th | 9 | |||
2001 | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | DNF | 6th | DNF | 14th | DNF | DNF | DNF | 11 | 11 | 13 | 4th | DNF | 3 | 10 | 8th | 17 * | |||
2002 | |||||||||||||||||||
DNF | 13 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 5 | 5 | 5 | DNF | 7th | DNS | DNF | 6th | DNF | 8th | 7th | DNF | |||
2003 | |||||||||||||||||||
12 * | DNF | 1 | 15th | DNF | DNF | 10 | DNF | 12 | DNF | DNF | 13 * | DNF | 10 | 7th | DNF | ||||
2004 | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7th | DNF | 6th | 4th | 9 * | 12 | 6th | 9 | 8th | 5 | 8th | 7th | 8th | 9 | ||
2005 | |||||||||||||||||||
1 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 5 | 12 | 6th | DNF | DNS | 6th | 4th | 4th | 9 | 4th | 3 | DNF | 5 | 2 | 4th | |
2006 | |||||||||||||||||||
DNF | 1 | 5 | 8th | 6th | 3 | 6th | 4th | 4th | 3 | 6th | 6th | DNF | 6th | 4th | 3 | 3 | 6th | ||
2007 | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | 6th | 8th | 9 | 4th | DSQ | 9 | 6th | 8th | 10 | 12 | 9 | 12 | DNF | 5 | 11 | DNF | |||
2008 | |||||||||||||||||||
DNF | 12 | 12 | 10 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 18th | DNF | 16 | 15th | 14th | 17th | DNF | 14th | DNF | 17th | 18th | ||
2009 | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | 18 * | 14th | 15th | 14th | 9 | DNF | 10 | 11 | 14th | 12 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 16 |
Legend | ||
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colour | abbreviation | meaning |
gold | - | victory |
silver | - | 2nd place |
bronze | - | 3rd place |
green | - | Placement in the points |
blue | - | Classified outside the point ranks |
violet | DNF | Race not finished (did not finish) |
NC | not classified | |
red | DNQ | did not qualify |
DNPQ | failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify) | |
black | DSQ | disqualified |
White | DNS | not at the start (did not start) |
WD | withdrawn | |
Light Blue | PO | only participated in the training (practiced only) |
TD | Friday test driver | |
without | DNP | did not participate in the training (did not practice) |
INJ | injured or sick | |
EX | excluded | |
DNA | did not arrive | |
C. | Race canceled | |
no participation in the World Cup | ||
other | P / bold | Pole position |
SR / italic | Fastest race lap | |
* | not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered |
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() | Streak results | |
underlined | Leader in the overall standings |
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
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2010 | AF Corse SRL | Ferrari F430 GT2 | Jean Alesi | Toni Vilander | Rank 16 | |
2011 | AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GTC | Gianmaria Bruni | Toni Vilander | Rank 13 | |
2012 | AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GTC | Gianmaria Bruni | Toni Vilander | 17th place and class win | |
2013 | AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni | Matteo Malucelli | Rank 22 | |
2014 | AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni | Toni Vilander | Rank 13 and class win | |
2015 | AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni | Toni Vilander | Rank 25 | |
2016 | Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE | Matteo Malucelli | Toni Vilander | Rank 19 | |
2017 | Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE | Pierre Kaffer | Toni Vilander | failure | accident |
2018 | Spirit of Race | Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas Flohr | Francesco Castellacci | Rank 26 | |
2019 | Spirit of Race | Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas Flohr | Francesco Castellacci | Rank 43 |
Sebring results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
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2011 | AF Corse | Ferrari F430 GTC | Gianmaria Bruni | Pierre Kaffer | Rank 15 | |
2012 | AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia | Gianmaria Bruni | Toni Vilander | Disqualified | |
2014 | Risi Competizione | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni | Matteo Malucelli | failure | accident |
2015 | Risi Competizione | Ferrari 458 Italia GTC | Andrea Bertolini | Pierre Kaffer | Rank 11 | |
2016 | Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide Rigon | Toni Vilander | Rank 13 | |
2017 | Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE | James Calado | Toni Vilander | Rank 9 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Mallya confirms the drivers for the coming season" (Motorsport-total.com on January 10, 2008)
- ↑ "Fisichella's dream comes true: In Monza in a Ferrari!" (Motorsport-total.com on September 3, 2009)
- ^ "Fisichella: First Ferrari, then resignation!" (Motorsport-total.com on September 3, 2009)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Fisichella, Giancarlo |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian racing car driver |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 14, 1973 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Rome , Italy |