10 years ago: Fisichella and Force India's unexpected pole at Spa

From the 2009 season of Formula 1, fans often remember the coronation of BrawnGP and Jenson Button, the rise of Red Bull et Sebastian Vettel, or the troubles of historic stables. But during the Belgian Grand Prix, an unexpected event hit the paddock: pole position for a mid-table team!

Arriving in the Ardennes, Giancarlo Fisichella shows signs of wear. The Italian is often targeted for his advanced age (36 years old) and his performances hardly speak in his favor with zero points in the championship after 11 rounds.

However, it must be recognized that its equipment, the Force India VJM02, is not the most shiny, in a team which is only in its second year of existence. In just four years, it has had so many owners! Not easy in this context to aim for performance. 

A few weeks earlier, a new aerodynamic package was brought to the car. Almost everything is there: fins, barge boards, diffuser. Unfortunately, the free practice sessions were marked by an unusual incident. “I hit a rabbit in FP3. It damaged my front wing, explained Giancarlo Fisichella. My mechanics told me that in England it brought luck."

Indeed, the Force India finds itself transformed. The qualifiers are completely stunning. While championship leader Jenson Button is floundering in 14th place, the Red Bulls are hovering at the bottom of the top 10. 

“Fisico” finds himself in Q3, the phase reserved for the 10 fastest drivers of the session. The former pilot Renault donne le maximum durant 7,004 km. Surprise : il devance son vieux pote Jarno Trulli (Toyota) de 203 millièmes sur la ligne ! 

#BelgianGP memories… pic.twitter.com/OsKCNSFGaP

— Giancarlo Fisichella (@OfficialFisico) August 27

We then have to wait for the arrival of Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari), the Toboggan des Ardennes specialist. The Finn misses the mark by 325 thousandths. It is therefore pole for the small Indian team. " It's incredible ! I didn't expect to make the pole, admitted Giancarlo Fisichella. This performance came out of nowhere, especially since everything was not on point.

I don't know how this happened. Friday, I was sixth and I was surprised by the behavior of the car. My car had a lot of understeer. The dosage of aero support was not right. » Everything worked out for qualifying. The next day, Giancarlo Fisichella finished in a brilliant second place, only beaten by Kimi Räikkönen and his overpowered Srec.

Astounded by this performance, the Scuderia will use his services to replace test driver Luca Badoer, totally lost in the seat of the injured Felipe Massa. He would not score any more points until the end of his career a few months later.