Zoom A dream come true ahead of final start

Giancarlo Fisichella knew that he was unlikely to be retained by Force India for the 2010 season, despite his sensational second position at the Belgian Grand Prix. When the call from Ferrari came with the offer to stand in for the injured Felipe Massa, Fisichella didn’t hesitate and accepted the offer.

Now on the even of his final scheduled grand prix start, the Italian veteran is looking ahead to his first season as a test and reserve driver following an unspectacular four race stint with Ferrari which has so far yielded a best result of ninth.

“I think for me, this opportunity to race for Ferrari was a dream I’d had since I was a child and in the end it came true when I had given up hope that it would ever happen,” he said. “I am very happy with what I have done and I would not turn back the clock, even if I have struggled in these last few races with Ferrari, for the obvious reason that is not easy to get into a car you don’t know, which was made even more complex because of the use of KERS and the fact it handled very differently under braking.

“Recently, I was able to match Kimi’s pace in the race, so this weekend, I hope to have a better qualifying which would be the first step to getting some points.”

While Abu Dhabi is expected to be his final race start, Fisichella does not rule out a return the competition in the future.

“I have a contract with Ferrari for next year, but If there was an offer from another team, I would along with Ferrari, evaluate whether or not it would be feasible to be the third driver and race for another team in F1,” he explained. “At the moment, there is no decision but to be the third driver for a top team like Ferrari is already something to be very proud of. The atmosphere is fantastic here and I really feel at home.”

E.A. © CAPSIS International