As reported a few days ago, Giancarlo Fisichella has entered the 2010 Le Mans Series alongside his role as test driver for the Scuderia Ferrari. Fisichella will be racing alongside former F1 driver Jean Alesi in a GT2 class Ferrari F430 from the AF Corse team.
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According to the news page Fisichella will drive the LeMans series this year. I'm wondering what car he will drive. Is this a political move which will anchor Ferrari in a prototype class and will build up the pressure for the 2013 Concord negotiations. Those discussions are likely to heat up in 2011 already when decision will be made about potential new engines and another potential break away from the FIA/FOM run championship. Is Ferrari making a serious attack on prototypes? We will see.
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
As far as I've heard the Ferrari LMP talk is really serious. Eather way they'll have to cut their resources in F1, which they don't really want to. Instead they'll have enough resources left for a works LMP programme. KERS is likely to make a comeback too. Ferrari are launching they first hybrid car this year so a hybrid-petrol Ferrari LMP1 would be handy to prove their technological superiority. That may happen as soon as in 2011. The opposition will be quite serious as well (add the new Aston Martin, possibly HPD/Acura/Honda, Toyota/Lexus, Porsche, and the real Lotus).
Fisico's GT experience this year (alongside J.Alesi and V.Rossi for 24h maybe?) is quite possibly just a test for 2011. He'll either drive the 430 GT2 or the MC12, which has recently become eligible for LMS and LM24.
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
Fisi in Le Mans signals to me that Ferarri are gonna set up a ALMS team, with the resource cuts in F1 and if they need to start laying people off to comply with the personell resource cuts that are rumored to be happening, it would be a good area for Ferri to relocate their personell to.
I think that is where other teams are away to, Toyota have unfinished buisness, BMW are looking to set up a team as well. I think this is where the guys that are sick of F1 and its internal politicking are away to.
I think that Ferarri will have Fisi in a GT2 car for this year, then use him to test a LMP1 car for entrance in 2011. I think that Toyota and BMW are contemplating a simmilar approach.