Main effort will be to concentrate on qualifying - Fisichella
With Felipe Massa due to attend this Grand Prix and Rubens Barrichello in the hunt for the Drivers’ title, this is very much a Brazilian-Ferrari weekend from a news point of view. Giancarlo Fisichella might not be a local boy, but he is a past winner of this race and was in buoyant mood as he faced the press in the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro hospitality this afternoon.
“This is one of my favourite circuits, where I have plenty of happy memories, especially from 2003 when I won a very difficult race in wet conditions,” Fisichella said with enthusiasm. “So I am looking forward to this weekend, especially as the weather forecast suggests it will be wet on Friday and Saturday and also for part of Sunday. Apart from my win, I have usually gone well here, with two other podium finishes. The track is nice and the fact it is anti-clockwise means it will be tough on the neck. The last corner of the lap is very important, in order to have good top speed down the main straight. Turns 6 and 7 are difficult high speed corners, and then are also a couple of hairpins where it is important to have good traction. KERS should give us a good advantage through that last corner onto the straight and there are a couple of other places, where it might give us a few tenths advantage. But don’t forget, that on the downside, the additional weight of the KERS has an effect on the balance of the car, so it will be difficult to find the right set-up. It will of course be useful at the start and in overtaking."
With three races in Ferrari red under his belt, Giancarlo is feeling more confident about driving the F60. “Now, I am comfortable with controlling all the switches in the cockpit and the only difficulty remains finding the right braking point, as in this car, it is very different to my previous car. I need to think about it more, which maybe means I lose a bit of concentration. My main effort will be to concentrate on qualifying, as in the last race, in the second stint, I was as quick as Kimi, which is good, but I must try and qualify higher up the grid, if I am to achieve my aim of scoring points.”
This will be the Roman’s penultimate race for the Scuderia, before taking on the role of reserve and test driver. “To drive for Ferrari was always a dream and I am really happy to be a Ferrari driver, even if I only have two more races to go now. I feel very comfortable in the team, as there is a fantastic atmosphere here so I just hope this Sunday will be good for me and the team.”
