Hero status awaits Fisichella at Monza

In an interview with the BBC, Zanarini again denied that Ferrari had contacted him about the 36-year-old's services, but added that his phone was on '24/7'.

"I repeat that, nobody has been in touch," he said. "And to tell you the truth, we find ourselves in a fantastic team with a great car for Monza because if the car is good here it is good here, it is going to be good in Monza.

"We get to Monza with a lot of Italian tifosi, of course there is Ferrari, but I have the feeling that we will have a lot of people cheering for Giancarlo in Monza."

When asked if that would be because Fisichella was driving a red car he replied: "No, no, no. Because he is Giancarlo Fisichella and because of what he did today.

"I have never honestly got so many messages and so many phone calls after the victory in Australia or after the win in Malaysia. Today was amazing.

"A great, great day for everyone."

Zanarini added that he believed that Fisichella and Force India were capable of more giant-killing acts before the season is out: "You've seen it also for other drivers, not just Giancarlo, when you get the car that is working well, and let's not forget that he is driving a Force India.

"You must appreciate that it is a small team with a small budget, coming up and just in Valencia we knew that we got a good car for the rest of the year and now we are taking maximum advantage. Only now we can do it."