This spring will mark exactly 20 years since Giancarlo Fisichella took his first Formula 1 win, although longtime fans will remember it was a strange story as the Italian Jordan driver won the championship just days after that rainy and chance Brazilian Grand Prix. got victory.
On the podium at Interlagos, Giancarlo was on the second step, as at the time it was believed that when the race was stopped by red flags, Kimi Raikkonen took the lead. However, then the results were revised and Fisichella was declared the winner.
That’s how the 50-year-old motorsport veteran remembers it now.
“Behind was more than 75% of the race. At that point I overtook Kimi and was in the lead,” said the Italian, who took part in the Beyond the Grid podcast, Fernando Alonso.
The accident was terrible. It was decided to stop the race with red flags as we had already covered more than 75% of the distance. But by accident, the victory was given to Kimi. However, I, but especially my team, was sure that we were the winners. We protested the results and a few days later the FIA realized the problem and gave me back the win.
And two weeks later in Imola they gave me the cup. But it’s a bit of a shame that I couldn’t celebrate my first win at the top of the podium.”
In total, Giancarlo has three victories, although it probably could have been more, as he was always regarded as a fast and skilled racer, but according to him, he was not very lucky in his 14-year career in Formula 1.
“I’m more confident than anyone because I know what happened to me,” the 50-year-old Italian told the Beyond the Grid podcast. – Most of the seasons I spent in F1 I was in teams that didn’t claim to win. And in 2005 and 2006, when I came into a strong team, at Renault, Fernando Alonso became my partner.
My debut race for Renault was the Australian Grand Prix, where I took pole and then won, after which I said to myself: “This is my year!” But right after that, already in the second race, technical problems prevented me and in the end I didn’t earn enough points to fight for the championship. And when it happens, you have to work for the team and for your partner.”
Renault F1 was then in charge of Flavio Briatore, who asked Fisichella to help Alonso to the title.
“It was just like that,” Giancarlo recalls. “But since I’m a professional racer, I said, ‘I’m at your service. I work for you, for the team, for Fernando. Let’s win the Constructors’ Championship.” And we won it twice – in 2005 and in 2006.
Fernando’s results still impress me today. But I knew he would succeed in Aston Martin because I know what a fast driver he is. His speed remained at the same level, but he has much more experience than before. Now Fernando is having one of the best moments of his career and this year a good car will allow him to win several races. I am happy for him and wish him the best of luck.
When we talk about age, I know from my own experience that the speed remains about the same level. I’m also still fast and can do laps with the same time as the best riders. That’s just fatigue in the course of the shift that is felt more strongly. And it’s harder for me to resist double or triple shifts at Le Mans than it was a few years ago. Still, I’m glad I can still do it.
Of all my teammates, Fernando was the strongest. It did its job equally well in all conditions: when the grip was bad and when it was at a good level. He was very stable and composed, made almost no mistakes and knew how to properly build a radio exchange with the team.
In addition, he was also involved in political games, but this is also part of the job. He had a very strong position in the team. Briatore was his manager, while one of Renault F1’s biggest sponsors was the Spanish company Telefonica. But I don’t want to say that he was in a better position than me, but as soon as you lose the chance to win the championship, you have to work for the team and for a partner.
Fernando and I worked very well together. They shared telemetry, ideas, together they solved problems related to the car. Before the game we sometimes played cards with Flavio and our coaches. It was very funny! For the general atmosphere in the team, it is always important to establish good cooperation and friendly relations with a partner.
On the track, a partner like Fernando set the standards, or he could be guided by my lap times – we always helped each other to find the limit.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
