Has just occured to me that Giancarlo Fisichella looks to be starting his last race this weekend.

I reckon he's had a pretty honourable career between 1996 and 2009.

Never quite a top driver, but certainly very good on his day.

Ferrari is certainly a nice place for him to finish.

How do we reckon he'll be rememebered?

The driver who would rather be a second string driver in a red car than one racing driver who was trying to win races

Well...he will be Ferrari's 3rd driver and I saw he is looking for a drive next year - so perhaps not quite his last - but I it will be...

I've always supported Fisichella - never one to be a world champion but always (to me) a character on track - especially in the wet.

Remembered? I think he will be remembered for being team mates for a number of world champions and top class drivers (Kimi, Alonso, Button, Massa) sometimes showing them how to drive - but sadly not consistent enough.

I thought the move to Ferrari was brilliant - those initial photos of him sat in the F2009 at the factory - his eyes! no matter what he achieved (or not) at Ferrari - his boyhood dream of driving a Ferrari came true - and what a way to finish his on track career.

I really hope he'll be remembered as the man who did put a Force India on pole. And not as a Ferrari driver...

Anybody remember which will be his most popular race win?

I had great hopes for this guy at the start of his career. I was certain WDC's were in the offing.

Early 90's were still the times when you could still join a by-post fanclub and I think I paid about a tenner to join up, solely for the purposes of getting his autograph to add to my collection (he sent three signed things over the year I was a member).

But where did it all go wrong eh? And I think it did go wrong.

The guy is talented enough to win races in a Jenson Button kind of way, but his problem is that he simply isn't an animal in the way that Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton are. He's really not an aggressive driver and that's why the points and wins never added up as high as they should have done.

How he will be remembered: A journeyman who should have worked (not tried) a lot harder.

He's been a fairly solid pro over the years.

I'll always find it quite strange that he's always been very good in bad cars, but quite average in good ones.

I witnessed probably his most dominant win, Australia 2005.

He was untouchable that day.

The driver who lived and lives his dream, driving a red car?

Get over it. Every driver tries to win races. Do not judge Giancarlo's performance or lack off until you yourself can even begin to understand the difficulty of his task. Also you said races. Surley you mean race? FI have not had the pace to win other than at Spa.

He was as fast as Kimi during the race last time. So he's making really good progress in getting adjust to the car. Hopefully his final race he can score some points which helps Ferrari beat Mclaren. ( Since Heikki won't do shit for Mclaren anyway )

He will be quickly forgotten. He's not even held in the same esteem as Alesi or a Berger. More like a Eddie Irvine. Now thats a career that lasted too long.

I'd really like Fisi to at least score points on his last race.

A podium would be brilliant.

Whatever happens, I really hope his last race doesn't end like David Coulthard's did.

What the ****?

As the guy who restored Luca Badoer´s tarnished reputaion and exposed the F60 for the piece of crap it really is.

Yes!!! In the way to the pits, maybe... In this case, I think Badoer was faster...

I think the biggest problem for Fisi was that he tended to be in the wrong place for most of his prime - Minardi, Jordan in their ascendency, Benetton during their post-Schumi, pre-Renault lull, Jordan in their descendency and Sauber - and by the time he did get a WDC-capable car, a) he'd lost his edge, b) Fernando was hungrier and c) It made more commercial sense for Renault and Flavio to push Alonso over Fisi.

I can't fault the guy's workrate at all. He's been instrumental in pushing Force India forward and he never let his spirits drop even when his career seemed to be headed for oblivion.

If he hadn't wasted those first six years of his career in mid-field cars, I think he'd have achieved a hell of a lot more, but he hasn't had a bad career all told. He's retiring having achieved his ambition of driving for Ferrari, picking up three wins along the way. Not many can say that.

If Heikki won't do shit for McLaren what do you think Fisi will do for Ferrari? Fisi has NO hope of scoring points if it's a normal race, Heikki on the other hand has.

Mark Hughes said in Autosport last week that Fisichella has been steadily improving at Ferrari and is now around 3 tenths off Kimi.

So probably getting quite near his ultimate pace, as I'd expect Kimi to be a tenth or so quicker in equal machinery.

Not quite the best driver, but a good/ok driver.

Very nice and humble person on and off the track - well respected by his colleauges

Being Danish and a (somewhat less succesfull) kart driver myself, in my mind, Fisichella will always be intertwined with Jan Magnussen. Because those two were the outstanding kart drivers of their generation. Both went on to racing cars and Magnussen seemed to be destined for a much greater career. However it must be said that Fisichella's turned out the better.

Fisichella never scaled any great hights as a driver, but he gets my full respect for achieving what he did, with his avaiable talent. I am sure he'll be happy with the next phase of his life and wish him all the best in any other racing endeavours.

To me the image that still defines him for me, was him crying at Spa a few years ago. He had an excellent race, not changing front tires. IIRC he run in third and then the car let go..

When he felt comfortable witht he team, then he could have awesome drives.

He only won that race because Alonso started down the grid because of weather in qualifying.

Sure, but that was hardy Fisichella's fault.

He controlled the race.

I have been hot and cold on Fisichella over the years, by and large he is in my opinion a driver who would have his days, but for the most part not quite delivering when he had the car.

But:



Is really what I am remembering right now, his eyes in the pictures from the seat fitting. The fact that he would for all intents and purposes end his F1 racing career as a backup, and then likely fade from the scene. JUST for the chance of doing it in a Ferrari, he showed himself very very human in this, and I as a sentimental old fool think that is a very very endearing quality.

He's always seemed to be a driver who has made middle to rear end of the grid cars look better than they are, and made good cars look distinctly average.

Overall, I think that is probably how he will beremembered.

I know I'll remember him as the man who put a Force India on pole. As far as I'm concerned, he gets a free pass from the start of the Spa race until the end of this season. I don't think this will be his last race (how Pedro de la Rosa can be more apetizing to the new teams over him is something I will never figure out), but regardless, Godspeed Giancarlo.

Fisichella is a bit simulair as Marco Melandri. A talent that just didn't cut it.

Maybe not.

He told the BBC today that if he were offered a race drive for 2010 he would consider it, so I guess he is still interested in racing and perhaps the Ferrari dream isn't quite as good as he dreamed it would be.

Really?

Might be the fact that Räikkönen was fuelled (due his accident) six laps longer. After the pitstops on laps 37 and 43 Fisi was nowhere near Räikkönen.
Lap time chart on Autosport

Even on the stint after the first laps mayhem, Fisi managed to match Kimi on laps 8, 13, 16, 19, 20, 24, 25, 29 and 31 - 34, most of which barely. Matching Kimi's pace in the race is a bit of a stretch, isn't it?
Laps 7 to 37

easy to say in hindsight but a move to ferrari looked like more of a winning chance than staying with force india at the time.

You're right, the move totally made sense at the time I reckon.

I disagree. The Force India was steadily becoming more competitive at the time. At Ferrari, he would have to familiarize himself with the car and compete against Raikkonen while at FI, he would only have Sutil to worry about if the car was extra competitive....

So the smart money would have been with staying.

Thus I think Fiscichella wasn't thinking of short term gains. His career is winding down. Perhaps FI had already indicated that his time as a driver was ending, with perhaps an advisory position available at FI a la Coulthard.

So going to Ferrari, where the cachet of being a Ferrari driver is a valuable thing to have in a post F1 career, was a brilliant way of making sure his later years would remain profitable, both socially and financially.

Actually his win in Malaysia was far more impressive.

I was told that Fisichella's fix strategy was to fuel to brim and race on. Pitty that his driving have not developed along the lighter fuel load blasting through the chicane.

He will be remembered for winning the crazy 2003 brazilian GP, and for always getting on the podium at Canada (97-00) despite mediocre machinery.

Ture.

I think Fisichella is now missing his real opportunity to shine, as the next year's reg ban the refuelling. I think Fisichella excells the rest in suchconditions, remember, fuel to brim and race on...

Absolutely this. This surmises my thoughts precisely.

I was there too, only the 3rd grand prix I'd been to and it was the best! A Fisi fan since '97 I'd had huge hopes since the impressive winter testing speed of the Renault. Then in Melbourne everything seemed to just be coming together. The pole, the win... suddenly why couldn't this guy win 2,3,6 races?? Then almost before it began, it all kind of dwindled away...

I would say however that his most dominant win was the next one, Malaysia '06. At a track he'd never excelled at, suddenly he was completely on the ball, super in qualifying and supreme in the race. Then yet again, it all went downhill from there.

Fisi had some great qualities and good tracks - his results around Monaco and Canada especially were seriously impressive up until about 2004.

It's been really tough since the '07 Renault days, but after so many years of supporting the guy I couldn't let him go. Spa this year was almost the dawn of a new era! Then came the ironic fate of the Ferrari drive.

For me one of the most memorable Fisi races was the one in China, I think in 06, when MS won but Fisi was doing great and only let FA past due to team orders. The most memorable being Interlagos 03 of course.

Hmm, top10 memorable moments

1997 Germany
2001 Belgium
2009 Belgium
2005 Australia
2006 Malaysia
2003 Brazil
1998 Montreal
1998 Monaco
2004 Britain
1999 Hungary

All of these were superb performances.

fixed

Fisichella had already signed on as Ferrari reserve driver for next year to replace Badoer before he took the race seat for the remainder of this year. His racing career was already as good as finished so there was little sense in fizzling out at Force India when he had the chance to go out following his boyhood dream.

I have no qualms with a retiring driver letting his heart rule his head. He's put the work in, he deserves to live his dream.

was good and promising in DTM. then had too long and mostly meaningless stay in F1. next...

I really think that we'll have to delay our Fisi memories because i have a strong felling thahe will be at Sauber next year...

Had such a great opinion of him way back when he was getting his podiums.....Great memories,either way. Hope to see him around in F1,but if not: arrivederci,man!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJv8jt-_D6M

The guy can fly.

A guy who was a class underdog in midfield cars but choked when he was given the chance.

Using his last five-six races to sum his career is pretty pathetic.

Sadly, as a big fan, I am afraid my words would be the same. But I wont say them.

I think the win in 2006 is the one achieved under the most honest conditions possible - the one noone can dispute