Fisichella at Ferrari!

Giancarlo Fisichella will indeed become the second Ferrari driver starting from the Italian Grand Prix on September 13. During these last few days of speculation about the driver who would be Kimi Räikkönen’s teammate for the rest of the season, Force India confirmed that Fisichella wanted to change teams starting from the Italian Grand Prix. The Indian team stated that discussions with Ferrari had begun in the last 24 hours, as they had to wait for confirmation of Felipe Massa’s complete absence. Force India owner Dr. Vijay Mallya declared that Giancarlo and his management team approached him yesterday with a proposal coming from Ferrari.

« For any Italian driver, a seat at Ferrari is a long-standing dream, and for Giancarlo, there was no exception. No one should stand in the way of that. Furthermore, the deal will be secured with the future of Giancarlo and Ferrari, and it would be incorrect to jeopardize it, especially when Giancarlo has made an incredible contribution with Force India. » adds the boss of Force India.

Force India is understood to have outstanding debts with Ferrari, who supplied engines to the Indian team in 2008, but Mallya states that commercial factors did not play a role in the transaction. “We wish to emphasize that we have not accepted any financial arrangement with Ferrari,” he said. “This agreement was made in good faith and for the benefit of Giancarlo and the sport in general. A competitive Italian in a Ferrari at Monza is a positive story for Formula 1, which can only help improve the sport’s visibility in these challenging times.”

«We would like to thank Giancarlo for all his help in giving us our first points and our first podium last weekend. He has been an integral part of the team, and we owe him a great deal for his contributions behind the scenes and on the track. We wish him all the best for the future» confirms Mallya.

« For Force India, this sport is a team effort and removing a part, even if it’s a main one, will not affect our performance. The team’s competitiveness in Belgium was the result of hard work at the factory and in the wind tunnel. More developments are coming for the upcoming races, and we are confident that the momentum will be maintained. We are now looking forward to a strong end to the season » hopes the Indian billionaire.

Force India has not made a decision on the second driver who will race alongside Adrian Sutil for the rest of the season, although Vitantonio Liuzzi is positioned as the frontrunner to take the Formula 1 seat.