Fisichella: Force India’s beautiful gesture

Vijay Mallya, boss of Kingfisher and Force India, was keen on his driver, but did not go as far as a standoff with Ferrari to keep him within his team. Giancarlo Fisichella, eager, like any Italian, to drive for Ferrari, therefore sees his situation unblocked. The 36-year-old driver, with 225 Grands Prix under his belt, joins the Team for the end of the season and will compete in his first race at the wheel of the F60 during the Italian Grand Prix, at Monza, in front of his home crowd.

The boss of the team, Vijay Mallya, discusses the circumstances which pushed him to release his driver. “ Giancarlo and his managers approached me yesterday (Wednesday) with the Ferrari proposal. For any Italian driver, a seat at Ferrari is a long-held dream and, for Giancarlo, it is no exception. No one should stand in the way of this. Additionally, this agreement secures Giancarlo's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardize this, particularly given Giancarlo's contribution to Force India. »

«We would like to point out that we have not accepted any financial arrangement with Ferrari, specifies Mallya, despite the contract which linked Fisichella to Force India. This agreement was made in good faith and for the good of Giancarlo and for the sport in general. A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari at Monza is a positive story for the Formula 1, which can only help to improve the visibility of sport in these difficult times »

«We would like to thank Giancarlo for all his help and for giving us our first World Championship points last weekend. We wish him the best for the future », concludes Vijay Mallya.

For his part, Giancarlo Fisichella thanks his former team for making things easier for him by not blocking him for contractual reasons. “ I am very grateful to Vijay Mallya for giving me the opportunity to drive for Scuderia Ferrari. It is true that this has always been my ambition and the fact that Vijay Mallya allows me to do so is very generous. I hope I was able to help Force India grow a little and get on the right track to achieve their goals. The team is now very competitive and I wish them the greatest success. »