Early Racing Career
Giancarlo Fisichella was born in Rome, Italy in 1973. As a young driver, he quickly made a name for himself in karting competitions. In 1992 at age 19, Fisichella graduated to the Italian Formula Three Championship, driving for the Jolly Club team. Over the next two seasons, he scored multiple race wins and finished as runner-up in 1993. His big breakthrough came in 1994 when he won the Italian F3 title with 11 race victories for RC Motorsport.
That same year, Fisichella also triumphed at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race. This established him as an exciting talent to watch. He capped off 1994 by making guest appearances in British F3 and the Macau Grand Prix.
Key Career Highlights Before F1
- 1992 – Began racing in Italian Formula Three
- 1993 – Second place in Italian F3 championship with 2 race wins
- 1994 – Italian F3 champion with 11 race wins
- 1994 – Won F3 support race at Monaco Grand Prix
Formula One Debut with Minardi
Giancarlo Fisichella’s strong junior results captured the attention of the Minardi F1 team. He signed on as their official test driver for 1995. The following year, Minardi promoted Giancarlo Fisichella to a race seat alongside Pedro Lamy.
He made his Formula One debut at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. However, the underfunded Minardi cars were uncompetitive and regularly running at the back of the field. Fisichella’s best result was an 8th place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix.
After 8 races, Minardi replaced him with pay driver Giovanni Lavaggi. Although his time with the team was short, Fisichella had now made it onto the F1 grid.
Key Career Highlights with Minardi
- 1995 – Signed as Minardi test driver
- 1996 – Formula One race debut at Australian GP
- Best result 8th place at Canadian GP
- Completed 8 races before being replaced
Midfield Years at Jordan and Benetton
For 1997, Giancarlo Fisichella secured a race seat at the Jordan team. Driving alongside Ralf Schumacher, he scored his first points by finishing 4th at the Monaco Grand Prix. Another podium came later that year when he finished 2nd in Belgium.
His strong driving caught the attention of Benetton boss Flavio Briatore. Fisichella switched to Benetton in 1998 but unfortunately, the team was on the decline after years of past success.
Over 4 difficult seasons from 1998 to 2001, Giancarlo Fisichella managed a handful of podium finishes but no race victories with Benetton. The team was rebranded as Renault F1 in 2002 after being sold to the French manufacturer.
Key Career Highlights at Jordan and Benetton
- 1997 – Joined Jordan F1 team
- 1997 – Scored first podium finishes with two 4th place results
- 1998-2001 – Raced for Benetton/Renault through their transition
- 2001 – Consistently outperformed teammate Jenson Button
First Grand Prix Win at 2003 Brazilian GP
For the 2002 season, Fisichella returned to the Jordan squad alongside Takuma Sato. The following year proved to be his big breakthrough. At the chaotic 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix, Fisichella took an emotional first career victory for the Jordan team.
He crossed the finish line in first place, only for officials to declare Kimi Raikkonen the winner on a technicality after the race was red-flagged early. But several days later, Fisichella was finally granted the victory after an appeal process.
Key Career Highlight at Jordan
- 2003 – Won Brazilian Grand Prix after post-race appeal
Leaving Jordan for Sauber and Renault
Despite the win, Giancarlo Fisichella decided to leave Jordan in 2004 after they switched from Honda to Ford engines. He joined the Sauber team instead, beating teammate Felipe Massa 22 points to 12 over the season.
His strong performances led to a contract with the factory Renault squad for 2005. Teamed up with a young Fernando Alonso, Fisichella returned to the team where he had raced during their earlier Benetton years.
Key Career Highlights Leaving Jordan
- 2004 – Joined Sauber and beat teammate Felipe Massa 22-12
- 2005 – Signed by Renault F1 to partner Fernando Alonso
Race Winner with Renault 2005-2007
Giancarlo Fisichella’s decision to join Renault proved wise as the team became a force to be reckoned with. He kicked off his Renault career by winning the 2005 Australian Grand Prix.
He added a second victory in 2006 by capturing the Malaysian Grand Prix. Although unable to beat Alonso in the championship, Fisichella played a key role in Renault winning back-to-back constructor’s titles in 2005 and 2006.
For 2007, Renault promoted test driver Heikki Kovalainen to take the vacant seat of Alonso. Giancarlo Fisichella beat his rookie teammate in the points 21-10, but left Renault at the end of the season.
Key Career Highlights at Renault
- 2005-2007 – Raced for championship-winning Renault team
- 2005 – Won opening race of season in Australia
- 2006 – Took victory at Malaysian Grand Prix
- Helped Renault to consecutive constructor’s titles
Final Stint with Force India
With his Renault seat now taken, Giancarlo Fisichella made the decision to rejoin his old team Jordan for 2008. Now owned by Vijay Mallya and renamed as Force India, he raced alongside Adrian Sutil that year.
Unfortunately, the team struggled badly and failed to score any points in 2008. But the introduction of new technical partnerships and a switch to Mercedes engines for 2009 saw Force India make rapid progress.
At the Belgian Grand Prix, Fisichella sensationally put his Force India car on pole position before finishing second behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. After more than a decade of effort, he was finally back on the podium again.
Key Career Highlights at Force India
- 2008-2009 – Raced for the Force India team
- Failed to score points in 2008 with uncompetitive car
- Took epic pole position and podium at 2009 Belgium GP
Dream Drive with Ferrari
Giancarlo Fisichella’s stunning performance at Spa captured Ferrari’s attention. Following an injury to Felipe Massa, the team offered him a contract to be Massa’s replacement for the remainder of 2009.
Driving for the Scuderia had long been Fisichella’s career goal. But in the outdated Ferrari F60 car, he was unable to replicate the same form seen at Force India. After 5 races, his plan to continue with Ferrari into 2010 also faded.
Still, ending his Formula One journey with the team he had always dreamed of driving for capped off an exciting career for Fisichella.
Key Career Highlights at Ferrari
- 2009 – Signed by Ferrari to sub for injured Felipe Massa
- Raced final 5 GPs of F1 career with the Scuderia squad
- Became Ferrari reserve driver for 2010 season
Giancarlo Fisichella’s life after F1
Although his time driving for Ferrari in F1 came to an end in 2009, Giancarlo Fisichella continued racing for the team at sports car events. He won his class at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 2012 and 2014 driving a Ferrari.
In recent years, he has competed in GT championships behind the wheel of Ferraris for the AF Corse and Risi Competizione teams. When not racing, Fisichella also returns to Ferrari as a brand ambassador at public events.
As he moved past his 50s, Giancarlo Fisichella can look back proudly at an exceptional open-wheel career spanning over 14 seasons in Formula One and 232 race starts.