Sauber: Fisichella Wrong to Leave

The Italian driver left Sauber at the end of last year to join Renault - and appeared to have made the perfect choice when he won the season opening Australian Grand Prix.

But a subsequent run of bad luck and mechanical dramas have seen Fisichella fail to finish on the podium since - as his teammate Fernando Alonso stands close to winning the World Championship.

Sauber has said that he is saddened about Fisichella's plight because his reputation has suffered badly on the back of his difficult season.

"I'd wanted him for a long, long time," said Sauber in an interview with the September issue of F1 Racing. "I'd been watching him closely and my people had been keeping data on him, so I knew exactly how good he was - and is.

"He's fantastically good. And I have to say I think it was a mistake for him to go to Renault. Why? Because, after one year with Sauber, he had an excellent reputation - but who wants him now?

"And I'm convinced he's doing a better job this year than his results would have us believe. He's more sensitive than people realise."