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How an F1 flop led to a Ferrari career

'It's impossible to say no to Ferrari' - the allure of the Prancing Horse led to Giancarlo Fisichella ending his time in F1 in underwhelming fashion, but it also gave him a second career

Gary Watkins Oct 12, 2017, 10:33 AM

When the call comes from Ferrari, it's difficult to say no. Especially if you are Italian. That's why Giancarlo Fisichella jumped ship from the Force India team with which he'd just claimed only the fourth pole of his Formula 1 career - and very nearly a fourth victory - to contest the final five races of the 2009 season with the Scuderia.

"It was impossible to say no to Ferrari," says Fisichella of the invitation to race for the team straight after he'd finished less than a second behind future team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. "Especially for me, because I was coming to the end of my career. It was going to be my only chance to drive for Ferrari in F1.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.