Special Sub-Topic: Giancarlo Fisichella Authored by: skysports Sub-topic of: F1 Drivers E-K

Giancarlo got his break into F1 with which team in 1996?

Minardi. Fisichella's talent was hard to identify in a poor Minardi chassis. An eighth place finish in Montreal was his best and because the team needed money, he was replaced by Giovanni Lavaggi from Germany onwards.

In 1997, when Fisichella moved on to Jordan, who was his team-mate?

Ralf Schumacher. Although the pair later got on well in the paddock, that was not the case in 1997. Schuey Jnr knocked Giancarlo out of a podium spot in Argentina and the Italian paid back the compliment by taking Ralf out at the start of the Luxembourg Grand Prix.

At which circuit did Fisi score his first F1 podium?

Montreal. In 1997, a brilliant drive in Canada saw Giancarlo's Jordan finish in a well-deserved third place behind Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi.

How many years did Giancarlo spend at Benetton?

Four years. During this time, Fisichella dominated his team-mates Alexander Wurz and Jenson Button, eventually leaving the team in 2001 with no wins and seven podium finishes.

What was Fisichella's best finish in the 2002 season?

Fifth. The Italian returned to Jordan in 2002, where his best result was fifth on three occasions, in Austria, Monaco and Canada.

Which engine did Fisi use to claim victory at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Ford. The engine did the required distance, then blew-up in flames in parc-ferme. When Alonso crashed, bringing out the red flags, Fisichella was robbed of victory by the stewards who gave the win to Kimi Raikkonen. It was only evidence around a week later, supplied by Jordan that saw the result overturned in Fisi's favour.

Giancarlo switched from Jordan to which team in 2004?

Sauber. Fisichella got increasingly depressed with the lack of pace of the Jordan and headed for Peter Sauber's outfit, partnered by Felipe Massa.

What was Fisichella's best result of the 2004 season?

Fourth. His fourth place came at one of his favourite tracks, Canada from 11th on the grid. He did actually finish sixth after the race distance, promoted to fourth when the two Williams drivers were disqualified for technical infringements.

At the end of his first season at Renault in 2005, how many team-mates had Fisi had in his career?

9. His nine team-mates in order have been: Minardi 1996 Pedro Lamy, Tarso Marques Jordan 1997 Ralf Schumacher Benetton 1998-2000 Alexander Wurz Benetton 2001 Jenson Button Jordan 2002 Takuma Sato Jordan 2003 Ralph Firman Sauber 2004 Felipe Massa Renault 2005 Fernando Alonso

What was so special about Giancarlo's first two pole positions in Formula One?

Both were scored in rain-affected qualifying sessions. His first two poles were both scored in rain-affected qualifying sessions. At Austria in 1998 for Benetton and in Australia for his 2005 team, Renault.