Fisichella's move - bad idea?

[18000rpm]

For the chance to race for Ferrari for 5 races only, he gives up his pretty-secure seat in a team that is starting to show some real speed finally. Bad career move?

[Koz]

They have already said he will be their third driver next year.

He is Italian driving a Ferrari - that's a dream, I think that would mean more to him than winning a race.

Good move either way IMO, Ferrari ask someone running their engines to give him a spot for next year. Although it might have been far better at FI if he could give them their first win.

[18000rpm]

"Third driver" in a sport with 2-car teams is an oxymoron!

[Roamy]

well i like the move - all along i have said that it is very difficult in f1 to even change cars. When JV went to sauber and renault he was cut no slack by all of the naysayers. Other drivers are having the same fate. So the moral of the story is backoff when a driver changes teams - these cars are quite different. The fish said he lacks confidence because the car feels different. we are talking a sport where 2 tenths is a lifetime. So understand how molded the driver has to be to the car.

[Valve Bounce]

Being the third driver in a two car team is like coming third in Word War II. Worse still, Fisi won just after he made that choice. It is without doubt that Mallya has unlimited funds and they finally have a competitive car; so in hindsight, Fisi may have done a helluva lot better staying with Mallya, because that car may be super competitive next year. There is absolutely no doubt that Mallya wants to win; I just wonder who his drivers will be next year.

[Roamy]

well I like the fish's move and have lots of respect for him in doing what he did. He is italian and proved it. He should be commended in every respect. We need more Fishes and less moneyhawkers

[18000rpm]

Fousto, I'm not saying Fisi is doing a bad job.

I just don't think it's a good idea to go from being a race driver (arguably the team leader) in a rapidly-improving team, to becoming a test driver for Ferrari. For me, that would only make sense if I no longer have the competitive spirit in me and want to semi-retire.

[Roamy]

well he may be there with that. However I could see him not going to renault or red bull but we all know the ferrari mystic. that coupled with italian = go

[Steve2009]

Fousto, I'm not saying Fisi is doing a bad job.

I just don't think it's a good idea to go from being a race driver (arguably the team leader) in a rapidly-improving team, to becoming a test driver for Ferrari. For me, that would only make sense if I no longer have the competitive spirit in me and want to semi-retire.Totally agree!
It apears that quite a few people thought he was going to continue the success he started to realize at FI.
Possibly even push Kimi :laugh:
I believe a member or two on this forum thought Ferrari had a real chance of a 1-2 at Monza :eek:
:rotflmao:

[Rudy Tamasz]

Fisi is the kind of driver who would bring a dog of a car to a glorious eigth place, get a contract with a top team and then bring a championship winning car to the same eigth place. Only now it would be a lousy eigth place. He proved it throughout his career.

If he stayed with Force India, everybody would be going on about how well he doing. Now everybody will blast him for poor results with Ferrari. He's just buried his F1 career. On to WTCC or DTM.

[DexDexter]

Totally agree!
It apears that quite a few people thought he was going to continue the success he started to realize at FI.
Possibly even push Kimi :laugh:
I believe a member or two on this forum thought Ferrari had a real chance of a 1-2 at Monza :eek:
:rotflmao:

It just shows how some people don't realise how good a driver Kimi is.

[Roamy]

rudy when you are the test driver no one gives a sh!t besides the driver

[Dzeidzei]

Possibly even push Kimi :laugh:
I believe a member or two on this forum thought Ferrari had a real chance of a 1-2 at Monza :eek:
:rotflmao:

Well, I always thought that if Fisi is within a few tenths of Kimi (on a track he´s very familiar with like Monza) that would be excellent. Being over a sec off the pace just isnt acceptable. It´ll be the same in Suzuka.

For Fisico´s information: If you feel slow, maybe you just are slow?

[18000rpm]

What I don't understand is, why would anyone (unless he's winding down his career) change from being a race driver in a competitive car to being a test driver, Ferrari or not. With almost no chance of ever being promoted to race driver except as a substitute.

That's just MATTO.

[keysersoze]

I think Fisi took the Ferrari test seat in part because he was reasonably certain he didn't have a Force India seat in 2010, or any other drive for that matter.

He also figured a Ferrari would be an improvement over his Force India--and I think he will be correct about that for the remaining tracks.

[Knock-on]

It's a hell of a transition to step out of a F1 car and into another expecting to be on the pace but after 2 meetings and hundreds of test miles, he should be within a fraction of the best he can do. I can't help but think Fisi just doesn't have much more :(

In fact, the only drivers I know that have made the transition recently are Kimi, Alonso and Lewis, the latter changing not just car but formula as well.

I think it was a huge ask for Fisi but good luck to him anyway.

[christophulus]

I think Fisi took the Ferrari test seat in part because he was reasonably certain he didn't have a Force India seat in 2010, or any other drive for that matter.

I reckon that's one of the reasons - Ferrari have given him a test driver contract for 2010 which is another year of employment. Who knows what Force India's driver line up would have been next year? A comfy seat at Ferrari is pretty sensible at this late stage of his career.

[Mark]

So Fisi will effectively be out of drive for next year? Yeah, smart career move indeed. It would likely have been resigned for Force India. Why is he not going back there?!

[anthonyvop]

The man went for his dream.

Who can question that?

[Sonic]

The man went for his dream.

Who can question that?

Well that sums it up nicely; if someone knocked on my door tomorrow and asked me to come out of retirement to drive for Williams (if you're reading Frank ;) ) I'd bite their arms off.

[veeten]

The man went for his dream.

Who can question that?

I can, especially when it turns into a 'guilded cage'. All the trappings, but still a cage. Basically, he's not going anywhere. And, looking at the driver line-up for next season, there is no expectation of moving back into a race seat.

Welcome to Luca Badoer's world of 'Formula Solo'. :dozey:

[Ranger]

I can, especially when it turns into a 'guilded cage'. All the trappings, but still a cage. Basically, he's not going anywhere. And, looking at the driver line-up for next season, there is no expectation of moving back into a race seat.

Welcome to Luca Badoer's world of 'Formula Solo'. :dozey:

Let me rephrase:

Fisi won races before.

He'd never driven for Ferrari before.

End of.

[rabf1]

"why would anyone (unless he's winding down his career) change from being a race driver in a competitive car to being a test driver, Ferrari or not"

You answered your own question. He is old. His driving career is pretty much over. He gets to run a few races in a Ferrari. He gets to be the third driver for a few years and make some coin. And you never know, Fred or Massa could get hurt.

[Firstgear]

Is he officially the "3rd driver", or the "test driver"? I've seen both refered to in this thread and to me there is a difference.

My deffinitions would be:

- Third driver implies a race seat if something happens to driver #1 or #2.

- Test driver means if something happens to driver #1 or #2 the team may be looking elsewhere to fill the vacancy.

If this is correct, 3rd driver doesn't sound too bad, given the uncertainty of Massa.

Either way though, he's fulfilling a dream so good for him.

[gloomyDAY]

This is a good move by Fisi.

Let's be honest with ourselves. The best of his years are now behind him and now he has to look forward to a nice paycheck and hanging around the F1 paddock. I don't think Fisi can race anywhere near as hard as any of the top F1 drivers, so being a reserve driver for Ferrari isn't such a bad gig.