Chief of the Indians

Giancarlo Fisichella might be back at the wrong end of the F1 grid, but, he tells STEVE COOPER, he can lead Force India forwards

Veteran Canadian folk rocker Neil Young once sang 'It's better to burn out than to fade away' - an exhortation to get out quick before life dulls the experience. Which is all very well, but what if you're not prepared to do either?

Many grand prix drivers simply cannot accept the stark fact their Formula 1 racing career must eventually end - and have shown that breaking up is so very hard to do.

Some, like Damon Hill and James Hunt, abandoned the sport when crippling fears for their self-preservation meant they couldn't go on. Others, like Michael Schumacher and Keke Rosberg, walked away quickly without so much as a backwards glance, lest the temptation to return should creep up on them. And there are those who went to great lengths to prolong their F1 lifespan, slowly spiralling down the grid in the search for one more high. Why else would such luminaries as Michele Alboreto, Graham Hill and Rene Arnoux have soldiered on, with seemingly no sniff of victory, if it weren't for the exuberant kick to the senses they experienced every other weekend?

It's the first, somewhat unflattering, question I ask Giancarlo Fisichella, less than an hour after he ends a gruelling day's testing for Force India at Jerez. For a man who rode as tail-gunner to a world champion, and who expected to be challenging for the world title himself just 12 months ago, it must be difficult to reconcile yourself with the fact that you are destined to trawl the lower recesses of the timesheets.

"I still love Formula 1," he says matter-of-factly. "I absolutely love driving and I love the sport."

It's not his answer that surprises; it's the directness, honesty and immediacy of his response that is striking. And it makes you believe that here is a man who hasn't fallen out of love with F1, who still wants to experience the buzz of racing at the highest level. Most importantly, here is a man who feels he can still make a difference.

"Another reason I wanted to stay in F1 is because Force India looks like a very promising programme. I want to be part of that from the start and I want to grow up with this team."

Indeed, it took little to convince Fisichella of the Indian team's potential. "Before I drove the car for the first time last December, I was a little bit worried about just how balanced it would be and how much grip it would have," he admits. "But it wasn't like that: I was quite pleasantly surprised - the balance of the car wasn't so bad, not as bad as I'd thought. Okay, we've still got a lot of work to do, but we're not starting from an impossible situation."

Fisi didn't take much persuading to rejoin the team where he earned his F1 stripes back in 1997, fresh from a six-month apprenticeship at Minardi. In that memorable snake-liveried Jordan, he would carve out a reputation that cemented his Formula 1 future.

"Yeah, it's my third time under the same roof," he laughs, referring to his second stint here in 2002 and '03 after a dispiriting four years at Benetton. "There are still some of the same mechanics here from when I first joined Jordan," he adds. "In a way, it does feel like I'm back home. I feel like part of the family - and that makes me happy. This is still largely the same team it was back then, but because there's new money and investment, there's a real feeling of renewed motivation."

The ethic of an independent team served Fisi well. When Benetton dispensed with his services, it was his second stint at Jordan that recharged his batteries and got him another shot on the F1 merry-go-round. The canny Peter Sauber took notice, and Fisi did a stellar job with markedly midfield equipment in 2004 to earn himself another chance at the top table with Renault.

This was the moment when Fisichella would carve out a reputation as a world-beater - but the dream quickly soured when it became apparent just how hungry team- mate Fernando Alonso was for success. After nearly a decade of continuous promise, Fisi's career abruptly stalled. And that was a shock to the system.

With the wind no longer in his sails, Fisichella's prospects took a hit - and weren't helped by the dispiriting slump in performance at Renault once its Spanish talisman had departed for McLaren. At first, it looked like Alonso had taken the Renault mojo with him to Woking, but it quickly became clear that Fisichella and new team-mate Heikki Kovalainen weren't merely poor substitutes, rather they were victims of a bad car that was difficult to push to the limit and hard to drive consistently.

"It was such a difficult and frustrating season," he says, finally reflecting on just what might have been. "At the start of last year, I was confident we would be able to fight for the championship - but the car just wasn't as quick as it was in 2005 and 2006.

"Even with Fernando going back there - now Fernando is a great driver, it's what he does best, but he still needs a good car, and I don't know if Renault is ready to win again yet. I'm a little pessimistic about their chances."

At the end of last year he left Renault, no longer a potential team leader, but more an experienced and overqualified number two. By the time Renault had finalised its 2008 decision, Fisi had been excluded and all the plum seats had been taken. It meant Giancarlo was not able to slip gracefully into a thrusting midfield operation, but was forced to start back at the bottom.

It has brought him to Force India - and deservedly so, in his opinion. "I think my experience and my speed earned me the drive," he says. "At December's Jerez test, I was the most consistent driver and Christian Klien only went faster than me on a low-fuel run. I was consistent throughout my long run and was able to give good feedback and information to the engineers - I helped them improve the car's set-up."

It earned Fisichella a two-year deal and a role as the team's number one - a position that suits his abilities and enthusiasm and which will also buck up the ideas of Adrian Sutil, a driver whose ultimate potential and commitment have been questioned after a 2007 season showing only small flashes of promise.

As the team leader, does Fisichella prefer to be a big fish in a small pond - the pivot around which everything else revolves, particularly so after becoming increasingly sidelined at Renault? Does he need to be loved? Interestingly, he immediately ducks that question and returns to the statement he cited before: "It's more important I bring my experience and speed to this team." It's clear that Fisi feels this is still a job requiring dedication, that he's not merely on a free ride into retirement. "I want to work to keep everybody focused and motivated."

That shouldn't be too hard. Like Super Aguri, Force India might be one of F1's minnows, but it's a tight little family that longs to flex its muscles, punch above its weight and prove a point. And that collective enthusiasm is catchy. Venture down to the Spyker or Aguri pits last year, and you felt like you wanted to be part of them. For an individual who can make a very concrete difference, the attraction must be immense. That's why Mike Gascoyne is here, why Ian Phillips remains onboard, and why so many of the Jordan team's long-termers are still present, armed with a fresh belief this little team can at last turn a corner.

Fisi last worked with Gascoyne back in 2001 and counts the feisty rottweiler as an ally. "It's good to see Mike again," he says. "He's a good guy - and Mike and I have a good friendship." If that bears fruit, progress at Force India should be swift. Gascoyne doesn't suffer fools gladly and will immediately warm to Fisichella if he proves capable of steering the team further up the grid.

That, at least, is the modest aim for the year ahead. "The first season is just about improving the car and getting up to speed with the other teams," he says. "We want to be fighting other cars and moving closer to the midfield. People might say it's impossible, but I've got confidence. After all, I won a race for Jordan in 2003 when everybody had written us off. So it would be great if we could at least score some points."

Like David Coulthard at McLaren in 2003 and '04, a stint in a championship-worthy team against a hungry, talented young superstar might have taken the wind out of his sails, but it's hardly mattered: both have proved wise and resourceful enough to pack a spare paddle.

By staying true to what he believes in, Coulthard has earned himself new respectability as one of the sport's vital elder statesmen, and a man who finally seems more at ease with both himself and his role within the sport than he ever did when he was up against the nub of fierce competition.

Fisi also looks likely to settle comfortably, yet dynamically, into his new role. "I want to be a team player," he says. "And I think I am one. I believe in this team and its potential, and I really want to help us improve and grow up together. That idea just feels right to me."