By the third grand prix of the season, Scuderia Ferrari breaks Red Bull’s spell, now Japan arouses great curiosity in Giancarlo Fisichella too. Max Verstappen’s Australian retirement has opened the doors to an easy Ferrari one-two: the Prancing Horse is awaited at the Suzuka test to see if the bar can really be raised.

From 2023 to 2024, the rhythm in Formula 1 has been set by the Austrian team, but the context has changed. “Red Bull is always strong, very strong, at least with Verstappen,” explained the former Renault Italian driver.

For Giancarlo Fisichella, interviewed by Gazzetta dello Sport, Christian Horner’s team can still enjoy the lead, at least with its most prominent driver. However, the Dutchman showed his first weakness in a long time in Melbourne. He’s human, he too can retire, something that hasn’t happened since the first two races of 2022.

Max Verstappen has become human and beatable. That’s the impression left by the Melbourne weekend. Even this single spearhead Red Bull can be attacked, and the Albert Park one-two has galvanized the environment around Ferrari. Now, Japan is seen as an opportunity for further testing, where Red Bull should be able to show its best.

However, it would be a mistake not to believe in it. It’s 2024, and the first races have shown that the Prancing Horse can play its cards anywhere: “Ferrari is there, while in 2023 it was competing with Mercedes and Aston Martin,” Giancarlo Fisichella recalled.

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“Indeed, there was the one-two. Verstappen retired, that’s true,” reflected the 51-year-old Italian. “But maybe Red Bull is less reliable, more delicate, because it feels the pressure from Ferrari. This leads Max to push the car harder.” – the former Formula 1 driver added.

The Japanese Grand Prix will now be an important litmus test according to the Italian: “We’ll understand on Sunday. Suzuka has everything, speed, direction changes. We’ll be able to understand well where Ferrari stands in relation to Red Bull.” However, Giancarlo Fisichella is certain and concluded with crossed fingers: “I’m sure that Ferrari has improved a lot, especially in terms of tire wear and race pace. Let’s hope for the best.”

Source: f1ingenerale

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When the news was announced, everyone’s thoughts turned to Michael Schumacher, who won five of his seven world titles with Scuderia Ferrari and who, with Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello, could be surpassed with the same car. According to Giancarlo Fisichella, however, this partnership would be appreciated by the German himself, who would not mind if the Briton surpassed him in the world championship titles.

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher between past and future

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher’s careers crossed paths in Formula 1 from 2010 to 2012. Since then, the Briton has joined Mercedes, turning it into the multi-championship-winning team we know today. The British driver’s goal from the next Formula 1 season onwards will be to repeat what he did with the German team also in Maranello, where a world title has been missing for sixteen years.

Giancarlo Fisichella, speaking about this aspect, said: “Michael would certainly be happy to see Lewis drive for Ferrari next year and win the championship, why not? What advice could Michael give to Lewis? He would simply tell him that Ferrari is a fantastic team. It’s a bit different from the English teams in terms of atmosphere; it’s more like a family. He will feel immediately at home.”

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To conclude his conversation, Giancarlo Fisichella then spoke about the current health status of the German driver, saying: “I don’t know his condition because no one knows, but I wish him all the best and hope he can come back soon. Michael Schumacher would have been a great team principal.” – the Italian concluded.

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Ferrari is back to winning
The two representatives of Scuderia Baldini had already mathematically secured the title at the end of the race held in July at the Mugello circuit when their car crossed the finish line first. However, they would have had to share the title in case of a Vallelunga victory by the BMW drivers, Comandini-Cassarà-Nilsson. But this scenario did not unfold, and both drivers celebrated this achievement at the end of the two-hour race.

For the record, Scuderia Baldini’s Ferrari had been the first to pass under Vallelunga’s checkered flag. Still, the race direction later penalized the two Italian drivers due to Tommaso Mosca’s contact with Gilardoni’s car while attempting to overtake. Consequently, they finished in second place with a 10-second penalty.

In their 2023 palmares, Giancarlo Fisichella and Tommaso Mosca secured two victories, a second place, and a third-place finish. This success was also due to an excellent car that supported them in all four endurance events. Moreover, it was the result of the synergy between the former Formula 1 driver, the young twenty-three-year-old with significant experience at high levels, and the professionalism of the team.

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In a recent interview with Corriere della Sera, Giancarlo Fisichella shared his thoughts on what seems like Ferrari’s “meat grinder,” a place where talented youngsters or even ambitious champions enter but can’t fulfill their dreams. “It’s wrong to say that Ferrari ‘grinds down’ its drivers. The trouble is if you don’t have a winning car, after a while, the champion gets tired. The Charles Leclerc – Carlos Sainz pairing won’t break up: there’s rivalry, but they are intelligent young men who know they have to work for the team. The current season is difficult to turn around. I fear that Red Bull has produced a monstrous car. It’s too far ahead: it was already strong in 2022, but the evolution has been tremendous,” said the Italian professional racing driver, who has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari.

The conversation then shifted to the man of the moment: Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is particularly appreciated by the former driver, who, when asked who is stronger between the 25-year-old and Lewis Hamilton, stated: “Verstappen. He’s the evolution of the species; Max has something more and gives the impression of driving with just one hand.”

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Here is an excerpt from his words:

Giancarlo Fisichella’s comments:

“It’s always nice to come back here to Monza, where I have so many memories. And then it was a really beautiful qualifying session, beautiful, beautiful. Played on the edge of hundredths, on the perfect lap. Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc are very close. Well done to all three of them. And well done to Ferrari, which was competitive. We had fun and were truly excited,” Giancarlo Fisichella said for La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Then he added, “After Friday’s practice, I said to myself, ‘Who knows, let’s see.’ After Saturday morning’s practice, I said, ‘Top two rows for sure.’ I was confident about the front row, even though Max Verstappen always scared me, of course…”. And speaking of the Dutchman: “He and Red Bull have become a combination like we’ve seen in the past: the right driver with the right car. It’s time to beat him. It’s possible to beat him; today Carlos Sainz proved it. And the same thing can be done in the race.”

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Finally, Giancarlo Fisichella talked about his experiences in the racing world, starting with his victory in 1993: “It was a Lottery Grand Prix. I had a prize of six billion lire assigned to someone I never knew who it was. And who never called me. But that’s okay. And then, 1997, when I started third with Jordan and finished fourth in the race. And then, of course, the podium in 2005, seventeen years after Michele Alboreto, who had been the last until then. Oh, I even won in GT here. What’s it like to stand on that podium? It’s unique. Unbelievable. Among the Formula 1 podiums, it’s perhaps the most beautiful. Certainly, it is for us, in Italy, with all those people and those flags along the straight as far as the eye can see… It’s a wonderful thing. It would have been the ultimate dream to win here with Ferrari. But it didn’t happen…”.

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The choice of a driver: between dream and reality

During the 2009 Formula 1 championship, Force India displayed impressive progress. After a surprising performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, where Giancarlo Fisichella secured a pole position and finished second only to the great Kimi Räikkönen, a call from Ferrari changed everything. When asked if he would make the same choice again, considering that the Ferrari F60 car was not particularly competitive, Giancarlo Fisichella responded without hesitation in an interview for Italian daily newspaper Il Corriere della Sera: “Even though I knew the challenges I would face, I would choose Ferrari another hundred times. At 37 years old, it was the dream I had always pursued. And even though the car was difficult to drive, Kimi amazingly managed to give us a victory in Spa. From that moment on, I became a true Ferrari fan.” – he pointed out.

Reflections on past mistakes

Every driver has decisions they regret. For Giancarlo Fisichella, the biggest mistake was in 2002: “I should have stayed with Benetton, but I chose to return to Jordan. It’s a decision I regret.”

Fisichella beyond Formula 1

But Giancarlo Fisichella’s career isn’t confined to Formula 1. The Italian driver has also achieved great success outside the pinnacle of motorsport. “I’ve always been a versatile driver, and in 2010, I discovered the world of endurance racing. Although it was initially a radical change, I adapted quickly,” he proudly states.

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Giancarlo Fisichella praises Ferrari: “Excellent work in Austria”

“This is a Formula 1 competition in which you have to wait four hours after the end of the race to see the result change, due to millimeter off-track moments… well, I don’t quite agree. It could have been avoided,” Giancarlo Fisichella begins, called upon to comment on the upheaval of the finishing order as a result of the penalties imposed by the stewards after the Grand Prix.

Turning his attention to Ferrari’s weekend, the Italian praises the performance of the Prancing Horse’s drivers:

“They did an excellent job. At the beginning, Carlos was even faster than Leclerc. The team chose to maintain positions, so he sacrificed himself a bit. In the end, he had a great race, maintaining a strong pace and trying to slow down Sergio Perez coming from behind. It’s a very positive result for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc secured an excellent second place.” The Italian also emphasizes the progress made by the team after a very complicated start to the season: “I would say that at least this weekend, Ferrari became the second force in the championship, unlike the first part of the season when it was behind Aston Martin and Mercedes.”

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During the broadcast, taking inspiration from Carlos Sainz’s post-race outburst, the former Renault driver was asked about his thoughts on the frequent complaints from Ferrari’s drivers: “You know, it’s obvious that you can’t always be happy. There are moments when you have to make sacrifices; it’s part of our job, we are professionals. I, too, have always respected team orders, helping the team and my teammate.” – he pointed out.

Looking to the near future Giancarlo, Fisichella anticipates challenging months ahead for Ferrari, but also acknowledges that they have taken the right path: “The response from this weekend is that you can continue working in this direction. It will be a difficult season because Red Bull has another level, especially with Verstappen, who is dominating the championship. However, it’s important to understand the car’s issues and work hard, as is being done now, to confirm their position as the second force in the championship.” – the former Ferrari man concluded.

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However, the world’s most famous endurance race, Le Mans, has once again certified the excellence of the Italian driver school, if there was still any doubt.

Crisis in Formula 1
In what is still unanimously considered the premier category of motorsport, Formula 1, Italian drivers continue to struggle. The last pole position and podium were achieved 14 years ago in 2009 by Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli, respectively. To find the last victory, one must go even further back to the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix, won by Giancarlo Fisichella himself. The last Italian to race in Formula 1 was Antonio Giovinazzi, who, however, was unable to fully showcase his talent during the 2019-2021 period, as he did immediately in endurance races.

Giancarlo Fisichella’s analysis
In an interview on the official F1 podcast, Beyond The Grid, Giancarlo Fisichella expressed his point of view on the subject, pointing out the well-known problems related to sponsorships and also responding to an interesting question about a sort of indirect responsibility of Scuderia Ferrari for this particular lack of Italians in the sport.

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“The Ferrari ‘problem’
“There are only 20 seats; it’s not easy,” explained Giancarlo Fisichella. “You need to have good sponsors and a good team. Now, with the Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes academies, it’s a bit efasier. If you’re a strong driver, you can receive support from the team, but it’s still not simple. The last Italian driver was Antonio Giovinazzi, but he stayed on the grid for only a few seasons. Does Ferrari monopolize too much attention, which is ‘taken away’ from the drivers? It could be. Ferrari is extremely more important in Italy compared to a driver: it’s the maximum,” concluded the 50-year-old Italian professional racing driver.

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— see video above —

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His latest impressive achievement was just this past weekend, at the Miami Grand Prix, where despite starting in ninth position, thanks to a perfect race management he managed to secure victory, beating even his teammate Sergio Perez, who had started in pole position with the same car.

Thanks to this latest victory, the Dutch world champion has brought the number of Formula 1 victories to 38. Ahead of him, among the most successful of all time, we find Ayrton Senna (41), Alain Prost (51), Sebastian Vettel (53), Micheal Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103). However, there are things that rankings cannot take into account, such as the superiority of the car.

In this sense, the opinion of those who directly know what it means to compete in the most important motorsport series becomes significant, and Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has collected the statements of some former Formula 1 drivers about the two-time Red Bull world champion. Below are the words of Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella.

Giancarlo Fisichella’s words on Max Verstappen

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Giancarlo Fisichella began his intervention on Max Verstappen by saying: “I raced against Michael Schumacher, when he was winning everything with Ferrari, and I believe that no one has been as strong as Micheal in managing the race. He remains number one to this day. But if we talk about driving talent, Max Verstappen is at the same level. In the Miami weekend he was devastating. The mistake he made in qualifying can happen, even if it cost him dearly due to the red flag, but for the rest of the weekend he dominated every moment.” – the Italian explained.

The former Formula 1 driver then spoke about the car the Dutchman drives and how during the 2023 F1 Miami Grand Prix he was in total control of everything: “In the race, he gave the impression of driving with one hand. He has a car that helps him, because it consumes tires little and when he opens the DRS, he flies in a straight line and in overtaking, but the driver makes the difference. It can happen that Segio Perez with the same car, wins some races during the season, but when it comes to the championship, there is no match. I fear that Max is destined to dominate for a long period if the combination with Red Bull remains so strong.” – he continued.

Giancarlo Fisichella then concluded his analysis by talking about the debut in Kart and Formula 1 of the two-time world champion: “Max has been a huge talent since childhood when he was racing in Karts. He arrived in Formula 1 at 17 years old and moved from Toro Rosso to Red Bull at 18 years and 7 months. At first, he was crashing and made some mistakes due to inexperience, but now he hardly ever makes mistakes. He has eliminated his weaknesses and now he is very strong on dry, wet conditions, in qualifying, in the race, on the fast lap, in short, he is complete. If we talk about precocity, considering his age and what he has already done, he is even ahead of the greats of the past who preceded him. Only Charles Leclerc can be compared to him in this respect. And in any case, a driver like Max Verstappen is born once every twenty years.” – the former Ferrari driver concluded.

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