Fisi undaunted by Alonso
Giancarlo Fisichella has said he is undaunted at the prospect of being team-mates with Fernando Alonso at Renault in 2005, despite the Spaniard's manager Flavio Briatore is also the team's principal
Many see next season as Fisichella's last chance to prove that he deserves a place with a top team. But although Renault is perceived as a step up from Sauber, where Fisichella had clear number one status, he is now in an outfit where the other driver is one of F1's hottest young stars and popular within the team.
"I think Renault is capable of providing two equal cars to both of us," he said. "I know Flavio Briatore is the manager of Alonso, but it is up to me to be faster than him.
"Alonso is very strong and he is a very good driver so I just have to learn quickly. It is nice to be back with a top team. The team has got bigger since I was here last time and there are more expectations so we will try. But it will be very difficult because Ferrari is two or three years ahead of us."
The Italian declared himself happy to be back after testing for Renault at Barcelona on Wednesday. Fisichella, who last drove for the team in 2001 prior to stints at Jordan and Sauber, was 10th fastest overall having completed only 29 laps in the afternoon and admitted there is much for him to learn about his 'new' team.
"When you move to a new team you have to learn lots of new things, but for me it's not completely new," he said. "I still know at least 50 per cent of the people from the last time.
"I also have Alan [Permane] who was my engineer when I drove here before so it's nice to be able to work with him again. At the moment I have got this year's car and it is really set-up for [Jarno] Trulli and Alonso. It is not that easy to drive and I have to really reset lots of things. The most difficult thing is the tyres. I have talked to Franck [Montagny] about the car and I am just learning at the moment."
Bathurst 12 Hour: Van Gisbergen Mercedes leads after first quarter
Shane van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Mercedes headed Matt Campbell’s Manthey Porsche after three hours of racing at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.