Giancarlo Fisichella

With Juan Pablo Montoya already on the way out and Ralf Schumacher seemingly heading for Toyota (or obscurity), Williams is likely to be looking for two top drivers for next season. If as some insiders suggest hot favourite Mark Webber goes instead to Renault, the job of finding two suitable candidates will be even tougher.

Giancarlo Fisichella has to be somewhere on the Grove shopping list, as he is at Ferrari, should Michael Schumacher retire any time soon. The Italian moved to Sauber specifically to put himself in the frame at Maranello, but the disappointing form of the C23 has meant he's had little chance to get noticed so far this year. That's a shame, as it's clear to many observers that there are drivers in far better cars who do not appear to be earning their salaries.

For those who were paying attention Imola was not a bad weekend for Fisichella. Forced to start at the back, he ran with Kimi Raikkonen for much of the race, and eventually finished just out of the points in ninth, right behind the Finn. It was a fighting performance that deserved better.

'We have to be happy, because our pace once we got to the race was very, very good,' he said. 'I think I did a very good job, but unfortunately I didn't score points. The important thing is the reliability of the car, and the development. There were a few new components, and the car was better. We have some other things for the future, and I hope to be more competitive.'

Fisi had a frustrating Saturday. He was very quick in first qualifying, inevitably leading to suggestions that the team was being a little unrealistic on fuel, but as he finished his run, the transmission failed. There was no way the car could be readied in time for him to do the lap that counted.

'I was in the middle of the fuel load, I mean between medium and low, for the first qualifying. Then I broke the third gear. It was frustrating at that moment.'

At least he had the option of switching to a different strategy. As was the case with Raikkonen, also destined for the back of the grid, the car was filled up and switched to a two-stop strategy in an attempt to make progress.

'That was the best thing to do, considering our grid position. Otherwise the best strategy was three stops. But I also overtook a few of them because my pace was good.'

Giancarlo passed several much lighter cars in the early laps, and stayed ahead of Kimi all the way to their first stops, giving Raikkonen his closest view of a Sauber since he last drove one in 2001. The McLaren then jumped ahead, but Fisi remained in touch all the way to the flag. He finished a second behind Kimi, having set a fastest lap just 0.154s slower than the Finn's best. If a Sauber had stuck like glue to the quickest McLaren at any point in the last few years, its driver might now be in serious demand...

'Our pace was very, very similar. Sometimes I was quicker than him, sometimes he was quicker than me. He overtook me because with the new tyres, there was a bit more grip for him.'

Not many people noticed, but this was a feisty drive. Giancarlo also finished 12 seconds ahead of team mate Felipe Massa, whose star appears to be on the wane after his stint as Ferrari test driver has failed to lift him to a different level, as was hoped.

Fisi deserves better, although he's not expecting a leap forward at Barcelona: 'No, I think it's a difficult circuit for us, considering the last few tests.'