Fisichella to Ferrari?

[bhall]

Grandprix.com has an interesting article up today which looks into the possibility of Fisichella driving for Ferrari to finish out the season. The article posits that Force India would allow Fisi to drive for Ferrari to settle an outstanding debt related to the team's supply of Ferrari engines last year, and that Fisi could stay on with Ferrari next year as a test driver. One would assume under such a scenario that Badoer would retire from driving (with hopefully a gracious send-off from Ferrari).

It makes sense to me. Any thoughts?

[PlatinumZealot]

I can't decide which of the Italians is more deserving of the drive in Monza!

[ESPImperium]

Personally, i can see it being Piquet. I cant see Force India letting Fisco go in a hurry. Ulness Ferarri nulify the debt and offer Force India a substancial ammount of money to get Fisco.

Ferarri will have now to think about a Young Driver programme, thats for shure.

BUT... theres one thing id like to see in F1 that has just happened in Football, a transfer window. If a team wants to replace a driver, they can only do it in that alloted 3-4 week period mid season. BUT one mechanism id also have for the teams to have as well, is for any potential replacements to be given a test at a circuit in either a year old car or a current car, but with the GP2 tyres on so the teams data is more or less ruled nil.

Id make it this for the rule:

* Teams can test any individual or group of drivers from where ever they like, as long as they have not raced in the callender year to date.
* Teams can test up to 300km a day for the 3 days of the test duration.
* All cars are to have the GP2 tyres fitted
* Any driver change after such time as for the driver transfer window, they have to use a specified young or developmental driver. No official test drivers.

Or there is another way arround it, no driver transfers during a season what so ever, but if a Massa situation happens again, each team has to allocate one car on Friday Practices to putting in a young driver into it. And this is a mandatory rule for each team, no opting out as there was a few years back when teams could test a driver in the 3rd car in practice sessions.

There needs to be some sort of mechanism in place to stop this happening again.

[DaveKillens]

x

[ISLAMATRON]

Ferrari could establish a young driver(and engineer) program just by buying STR.

[GTO]

Fisco has more than earned the opportunity to fulfil his long standing dream to drive for Ferrari. I can't see Mallya blocking that chance for Fisco just to please the sponsors or fans. In fact, Mallya probably owes Fisco esp. a performance bounus for the points attained & future $$$ the team will get. In addition they have their test driver Liuzzi ready to fill in.
I'm cheering for Fisco to get the Ferrari seat.
=D>

[modbaraban]

It's probably a good chance for Mallya to give Liuzzi some milage while Fisico would be living his dream.

[dumrick]

I've been following Formula One for many decades, and I just can't recall a driver moving between teams in this manner.

Me too, and recall some:
- Derek Daly switched from Ensign to Tyrrell in 1979 and from Theodore to Williams in 1982;
- Geoff Lees moved from moved from Shadow to Ensign and then to Theodore in 1980 and from Theodore to Lotus in 1982;
- Marc Surer drove for Ensign and Theodore in 1981;
- Eliseo Salazar switched from March to Ensign in 1981;
- Mario Andretti raced for Williams and Ferrari in 1982;
- Stefan Johansson moved from Tyrrell to Toleman in 1984 and from Tyrrell to Ferrari in 1985;
- Christian Danner moved from Osella to Arrows in 1986;
- Riccardo Patrese switched Brabham for Williams for the last race of 1987;
- Yannick Dalmas started the 1989 season with Larrousse and finished it with AGS;
- Michael Schumacher moved from Jordan to Benetton in 1992;
- Salo ran for Bar-Honda and Ferrari in 1999;
- Alesi and Frentzen switched seats between Prost and Jordan in 2001

...and, by no means, I did an extensive research!

[modbaraban]

Justin Wilson moving from Minardi to Jaguar in 2003 was the last case I can recall. This Ferrari case is different though. It's not about Fisico going to Ferrari, it's about going to Ferrari and back. Probably.

[dumrick]

Justin Wilson moving from Minardi to Jaguar in 2003 was the last case I can recall. This Ferrari case is different though. It's not about Fisico going to Ferrari, it's about going to Ferrari and back. Probably.

If you seem to presume that Fisichella would go from Force India to Ferrari and back to Force India before the start of the new season -and we can only guess what the deal is/would going to be-, it was exactly what Johansson did in 1984/85 (from Tyrrell to Toleman mid-season 1984 and back to Tyrrell next season).

[The FOZ]

Fisi would be nuts to go over to Ferrari right now. Out of his mind, running circles whilst lying on his side on the ground CRAZY.

He has on his hands a car that is actually competitive. He has around him a team that brought him to a great result last race. He wants to win, and keep scoring for as long as possible. His team wants him to keep doing well, because scoring points in the WCC = money from Bernie.

What he wouldn't do at Ferrari is win. What Force India wouldn't get from Fisi going to Ferrari is WCC points. Here's how it breaks down:

Fisi and Force India have spent 2 years together, nearly. He knows how they work, they know how he works. He knows the car. Intimately.

How exactly would he gain a competitive edge moving to a team he's never been with, in a car he's never driven, and somehow pull all his stuff together in 2 days' free practice sessions? The Italians want some good results at Monza, not the race after, or the one after that. At Monza.

There's also the insider issue. Fisi may dream of driving for Ferrari, but his salary has for all this season and the last comes from Force India. Do you think for one minute he won't take everything he learns at Ferrari and apply it to Force India once he's back there? And with good reason, he should!

The situation is a bad one for Force India, for Ferrari, and for Fisi. It's all about compromises and accepting less than good when they already have good or better right now.

If you're going to replace Luca, look elsewhere for his replacement.

[axle]

FOZ, He wouldn't be crazy.

Fisi is Italian. Ferrari is Italy to Italian drivers, like Ducati is to MotoGP riders. Fisi would be almost unpatriotic to not jump at the chance to drive a Ferrari.

He's made it clear its a dream of his. He doesn't care if it's the best performing...it's Red, made in Marranello(SP?) and that is ALL that matters.

I hope he gets to end his F1 career at Ferarri.

This is no slight on FIF1's efforts, which have been stellar...but the call of Ferrari is greater to an Italian like Fisi.

[Fil]

This'll be Fisi's last season in F1.

He's already hinted at that, or slipped when saying it would be a dream to finish his career at Ferrari.
He'll replace Badoer for 2009, and again in 2010 as test driver.


Liuzzi has it in his contract a guaranteed drive at FIF1 for 2010. That was rumoured back when he signed on as 3rd driver, and has been a persistent rumour since then.

So giving him a headstart in preparation for his comeback next yr makes sense (it worked well for Kubica at BMW!).

[ISLAMATRON]

Fisi has done more as an F1 driver to deserve the Ferrari ride than Badoer has, If they can get him on the cheap they should do so, or Truilli, or any other driver than can bring them the points that BAdoer is leaving on the table.

If they want to show Badoer some appreciation they should stop him from embarrassing himself in front of Billions and give him a watch or a car or something. Just get him the hell out of the race car.

[sticky667]

the amazing thing for me is, how did ferrari use any data collected from badoer in the last 10 yrs to improve their cars? he is horrible.