All eyes will be on Giancarlo Fisichella at next week’s Italian Grand Prix as he fulfils a lifelong dream by climbing into a Ferrari cockpit for the first time, becoming the first Italian to race for the Scuderia at Monza since Ivan Capelli in 1992.
There was never any doubt that the Roman would make the switch after such a flawless display behind the wheel of his Force India en-route to second place in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Indeed, some would argue that it was precisely those rumours linking him to the seat that made such a result possible in the first place. The Italian’s second lease of life was put in context when you consider that highly regarded Adrian Sutil in the sister Force India, who has had the legs on Fisichella on more than one occasion, was nowhere near the pace of his more experienced teammate.
However, such was the manner in which he hounded the gearbox of Raikkonen’s Ferrari in Spa that there will be half of him wondering whether he should have stayed put at Force India in Monza.
The VJM09 was undoubtedly the quicker car and had it not been for Ferrari’s KERS advantage, Fisichella claims he would have won the race.
It should be remembered of course that there is a Mercedes-Benz engine propelling the VJM09, not to mention a McLaren gearbox, hydraulics unit, and considerable intellectual property from Woking as part of the team’s technical partnership with McLaren.
And it is no co-incidence that just as McLaren have come to the fore in the second half of the season, so Force India have produced a genuinely competitive package.
Which is why the Indian outfit could be a force to be reckoned with again in Monza this weekend.
Now, if only they could get their hands on that McLaren KERS unit…
