Giancarlo Fisichella will take up the second Ferrari seat for the rest of the 2009 season, starting with next weekend's Italian GP at Monza. Force India announced on Thursday it had released the Italian veteran so he could join the Scuderia to replace Felipe Massa, after test driver Luca Badoer failed to impress.
Despite last-minute speculation by the Italian press on a possible move by BMW's Robert Kubica, Force India's announcement that it had agreed to release Fisichella hardly came as a surprise. The Italian, who took a shock pole and second place in last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix and earned Force India their first points, has been linked to the drive ever since Michael Schumacher's comeback was called off.
"Giancarlo and his management team approached me yesterday with the proposal from Ferrari," Force India owner Vijay Mallya commented on the situation. "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."
"Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this, particularly when Giancarlo has made such a vital contribution to Force India," Mallya hints at the future Ferrari test driver role for Fisichella.
Force India is understood to owe money to Ferrari for their 2008 engine deal, but Mallya insists there is no money involved in the Fisichella transfer.
"We would like to stress that we have not agreed any financial settlement with Ferrari. This agreement has been made in good faith and for the good of Giancarlo and the sport in general. A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari for Monza is a positive story for Formula One, which can only help raise the sport's profile in these difficult times."
"We would like to thank Giancarlo for all his help over the past one and a half seasons and for delivering us our first World Championship points last weekend. He has been an integral part of the team and we owe him a great deal for his input behind the scenes and performance out on track. We wish him all the best for the future."
Fisichella commented, "I am very grateful to Vijay Mallya for allowing me this opportunity to drive for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team. It is true that it has always been an ambition to do this, and for Vijay to have allowed it to become a reality is very generous. I hope in my turn I have helped Force India grow up and be on the right path to achieve their own ambitions. They are now a very competitive team and I wish them all the very best."
It is widely expected Force India test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi will take up Fisichella's race seat, however the outfit has not yet commented on a possible replacement.
Filip Cleeren
Written: Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:21:07
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