Ferrari 'Will Try' to Sign an Italian Driver

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said the Italian giants "will try" to sign an Italian driver in the future for their Formula One team.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella said this week that he would drive for Ferrari for free but he has been locked out of the team because their current drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello have been signed until the end of 2006 and 2004 respectively.

World Champion Schumacher lengthened his commitment to Ferrari up to the end of 2006 before last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix but team boss Jean Todt has admitted the German driver could move aside before then.

"To see an Italian driver win in a Ferrari is the dream of many," said di Montezemolo. "At times dreams do come true, other times no. At the opportune moment we will try."

The late Michele Alboreto was the last Italian to win for Ferrari 18 years ago and the World Champions have only run three Italian drivers since he left the team at the end of 1988. Gianni Morbidelli drove in one race, finishing sixth at the Australian Grand Prix in 1991 after the team sacked former World Champion Alain Prost. Ivan Capelli scored three points with fifth and sixth in Brazil and Hungary in 1992.

Nicola Larini also had two races in 1992 and another two in 1994, when he became the last Italian driver to score points for Ferrari with a second place finish in the 1994 San Marino race. Since then, Ferrari have run Frenchman Jean Alesi, Austrian Gerhard Berger, German Michael Schumacher, Ulsterman Eddie Irvine, Finn Mika Salo and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello and set a trend in non-Italian drivers.

Montezemolo, however, said: "Ferrari might one day reverse the trend in the choosing of an Italian driver (but) there are many considerations and reasons more to do with politics and economics."