Fisichella Clarifies Jordan Leave Comments

Giancarlo Fisichella has reacted to widespread reports in the last week, which stated the Italian was planning to leave Jordan Grand Prix at the end of the season, once his contract expires.

In a lengthy statement, published on Jordan's official website, the Italian said: "There have been some reports saying I am not happy at Jordan and speculating about who I will drive for next season. Unfortunately the press have blown things way out of proportion and these reports don't reflect my feelings.

"Eddie gave me my first proper chance to race in F1 and I had a fantastic season with the team in 1997. I was delighted to come back to them last year and when I said the last two years have been difficult, that included my final year with Benetton. My point is that I want to have a competitive car - Jordan know that and they have worked really hard to deliver a good car this season.

"I have been very pleased with the way the Jordan Ford EJ13 runs in race trim, and I'm looking forward to comparing our performance with other cars once fuel strategies become clearer. There is a lot of work to do until we fully understand the potential of the car and know where we can improve, so it's too early to make any definite assessments other than to say it's positive. The car and engine are running strongly and because I believe that the key to success is development, I am 100% behind the team in working together to achieve our objectives.

"Our target is fourth place in the Championship and I think that points are achievable at every race, indeed I was very close to scoring some in Melbourne.

“Some of the stories circulating are about me wanting to leave Jordan for another team. I'm only committed to one team and that's Jordan. They have put together a strong package with Ford this season which I'm excited about, but I think every driver on the grid has a dream to drive the best car, and I'm no exception. Even Eddie has said he would love to see me in a winning car! My target for 2004 is to drive a car that can win and that doesn't exclude Jordan Ford. Right now I am committed to working with the team to make sure we are doing the best we can this year, and our common aim is to make the car competitive enough for Jordan to win races again.

"I feel unhappy for the staff at Jordan when I read speculation like this because I know they work very hard to give me a good car - and it is clearly better than last year's EJ12. I find it disappointing that whatever comment I make it seems to be portrayed as critical about the team, when in fact I am working very hard to help with the team's development so that together we can improve our level of competition in the Constructors' and Drivers' Championships.

"Hopefully now we can leave the gossip behind and concentrate on the next Grand Prix, and I can’t wait for it to start!"