Giancarlo Fisichella facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Giancarlo Fisichella
Fisichella at the 2012 6 Hours of Fuji
Born	(1973-01-14) 14 January 1973 (age 52) Rome, Italy
Spouse(s)	Luna Castellani (m. 2009)
Children	3
Family	Fisichella family

Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1996–2009
Teams	Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India, Ferrari
Entries	231 (229 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	3
Podiums	19
Career points	275
Pole positions	4
Fastest laps	2
First entry	1996 Australian Grand Prix
First win	2003 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last win	2006 Malaysian Grand Prix
Last entry	2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix


FIA World Endurance Championship career
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Years active	2012–2022
Teams	AF Corse, Iron Lynx
Starts	45
Championships	0
Wins	7
Podiums	15
Poles	1
Fastest laps	1
Best finish	2nd in 2013 (LMGTE Pro)


24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2010–2022
Teams	AF Corse, Risi, Iron Lynx
Best finish	13th (2011, 2014)
Class wins	2 (2012, 2014)

Giancarlo Fisichella, born on January 14, 1973, is a famous Italian racing driver. People also call him "Fisi" or "Giano." He raced in Formula One from 1996 to 2009. Giancarlo won three big Formula One races during his 14 seasons.

He grew up in Rome, Italy. Fisichella raced for several Formula One teams. These included Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India, and Ferrari. In 2010, he was also a reserve driver for Ferrari.

Giancarlo got his first win at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. This race was very messy and stopped early because of heavy rain. After some confusion about the rules, he was officially named the winner a few days later. He even got his trophy at the next race in Italy.

Later, he joined the Renault team. He won his first race with them in Australia in 2005. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, won more races for Renault. But Fisichella's good results helped Renault win two team championships in 2005 and 2006.

Outside of Formula One, Fisichella has raced in sportscar racing events. He won his class twice at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He also started his own racing team called FMS International in 2005.

Early Racing Days

Like many Formula One drivers, Giancarlo started kart racing when he was young. He raced at the track in Guidonia.

In 1992, he began racing in the Italian Formula Three Championship. He finished second in 1993. Then, in 1994, he won the championship! He also won races in Monaco and Macau that year. For a short time in 1995 and 1996, he raced touring cars for Alfa Romeo.

Formula One Career

Minardi Team (1996)

In 1996, Giancarlo moved up to Formula One. He joined the Minardi team. He had been their test driver the year before. However, he did not finish the whole season. Minardi needed a driver who could bring money to the team. So, they replaced Fisichella with another driver.

Jordan Team (1997)

In 1997, Giancarlo moved to Eddie Jordan's team, Jordan. He raced alongside Ralf Schumacher, who was Michael Schumacher's brother. Fisichella earned his first podium finish (finishing in the top three) at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix. He ended up scoring more points than his teammate that year.

At the German Grand Prix, Giancarlo almost won the race. But a flat tire stopped him. He showed his skill again at the rainy 1997 Belgian Grand Prix. He finished an impressive second place behind Michael Schumacher. After this, the Benetton team signed him for the next year.

Benetton Team (1998–2001)

Fisichella driving for Benetton at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix.

In 1998, Benetton used older Renault engines. Even without the newest engines, Fisichella still got second places in Canada and Monaco. He almost won in Canada, but his car had gearbox problems. In Austria, Fisichella got his first ever pole position (starting first). But he crashed with another driver during the race. He only scored a few more points that year.

The 1999 season was also up and down. He finished second in Canada again. He was close to winning the European Grand Prix, but he spun off the track. This was his best chance to win a race for a few years.

The 2000 season was similar. He got some surprise podium finishes early on. These were in Brazil, Germany, Monaco, and Canada. But Benetton's performance dropped in the second half of the year. He did not score any more points.

In 2001, Renault bought the Benetton team. Their new engine design was not very good. So, Benetton had a slow car. Fisichella often had to fight with smaller teams. But the team improved during the year. He finished fourth at the German Grand Prix. He also got a third-place finish in Belgium. Even though he got the team's best results, he left the team. He rejoined Jordan for 2002.

Back to Jordan (2002–2003)

Fisichella driving for Jordan at the 2002 US GP.

In 2002, Fisichella scored seven points. He was much faster than his new teammate, Takuma Sato. But the Jordan car was not very competitive. In 2003, Jordan switched to Ford engines. But the team still struggled to compete with the top teams.

Despite this, Fisichella won his first race at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. He was battling with McLaren driver Kimi Räikkönen in heavy rain. Fisichella took the lead just before the race was stopped. At first, he was placed second. But a few days later, officials decided that Fisichella was indeed leading when the race stopped. This made him the winner! He is the only Formula One driver to win a race without standing on the top step of the podium right away. He got his winner's trophy at the next race in Italy. His only other points finish in 2003 was a seventh place in the United States.

Sauber Team (2004)

Fisichella driving for Sauber at the 2004 US GP.

Fisichella was not happy with Jordan's performance. So, he moved to Sauber in 2004. He hoped this would help him get a spot with Ferrari, who supplied engines to Sauber. Fisichella drove very well all year. He was much faster than his teammate Felipe Massa. He scored 22 points, while Massa scored 12.

Renault Team (2005–2007)

2005 Season

Fisichella at the 2005 United States Grand Prix.

His strong driving made his old boss, Flavio Briatore, sign him again for Renault in 2005. He became teammates with the young Spanish driver Fernando Alonso. Fisichella won the first race of the season in Australia. This made people think he would have a great year. But he had some bad luck and fell behind his teammate. It seemed he just couldn't match Alonso's speed.

Alonso was very consistent and won the championship. Fisichella had bad luck that cost him points. In the Japanese Grand Prix, he lost the lead on the very last lap to Kimi Räikkönen. Even so, his driving helped Renault win the Constructors' Championship. They beat McLaren and Ferrari, who had won the title for the past six years.

2006 Season

Fisichella won the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix for Renault.

The 2006 season was similar for Fisichella. He won in Malaysia, starting from pole position and driving strongly. But he couldn't keep that speed for the next races. He even failed to get into the top ten in qualifying for two races. This meant he couldn't challenge Alonso for the Drivers' Championship.

He had some good results in the second half of 2006. He finished ahead of Alonso at the US Grand Prix. This helped him get his best-ever finish: fourth in the World Drivers' Championship with 72 points. He had one win and five podium finishes. After finishing third in Japan, Fisichella dedicated the result to his best friend, who had passed away. He also finished sixth in Brazil, which helped Renault win the Constructors' title again.

2007 Season

Fisichella became the main driver at Renault for 2007.

In 2007, Fisichella became Renault's main driver after Alonso left. His teammate was a young Finnish driver, Heikki Kovalainen. Renault was not as fast as they had been in previous years. It's unclear why, but it might have been because they changed tire suppliers.

In the first few races, Fisichella did better than his rookie teammate. But in Canada and the United States, Kovalainen finished higher. Fisichella was disqualified from the Canadian Grand Prix. He had left the pit lane when the light was red. He said he was trying to avoid other cars and didn't see the light. Renault seemed to get faster by the Spanish Grand Prix. But problems with fuel stops meant neither driver could use this improved speed. Fisichella crashed in Hungary, which forced him to stop racing.

Force India Team (2008–2009)

2008 Season

Fisichella driving for Force India at the 2008 French Grand Prix.

Renault signed Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr. for 2008. So, Fisichella joined the Force India F1 team. He was their main driver alongside Adrian Sutil. This was Fisichella's third time with the team, as it used to be Jordan. In the Monaco Grand Prix, he raced in his 200th Grand Prix!

Fisichella and the Force India team did not score any points in 2008. But there were times he almost got points. In Brazil, he changed to soft tires early. His skill in wet weather helped him climb as high as fifth place. Force India announced they would keep Fisichella for the 2009 season.

2009 Season

Fisichella driving for Force India at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix.

In 2009, Force India had a new car with a Mercedes-Benz engine. Fisichella started 15th in Australia and finished 11th. In Malaysia, he started 18th and finished there too, after spinning in the rain.

On August 29, Force India made some great technical improvements. Fisichella then got the team's first ever pole position at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. He went on to score Force India's first points and their first podium finish in Formula One. He finished second behind Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.

During that weekend, there were rumors that Fisichella might join Ferrari. He had always wanted to drive for them. On September 3, 2009, it was confirmed. Fisichella would leave Force India to drive for Ferrari at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix. This was his home race.

Ferrari Team (2009)

Fisichella driving for Ferrari at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix.

Fisichella signed a contract to be a Ferrari driver for the rest of 2009. He would also be their reserve driver for 2010. He replaced the injured Felipe Massa. Fisichella said he would still like to race for another team in 2010 if a good chance came up.

He stayed Ferrari's reserve driver for 2010. He hoped to race for Sauber, but they chose another driver. He was also linked to Force India, but they kept their current drivers. So, he remained a Ferrari test driver. At the end of 2010, he was replaced as a test driver. But he still remains part of the Ferrari team.

Helmet Design

Fisichella's helmet was mostly white. It had a yellow stripe above the visor and a green stripe below it. These stripes crossed at the back, forming an "X." There were blue squares at the crossing points. On top, there was a blue droplet shape.

In 2004, silver flames were added to his helmet design. In 2007, the Italian flag colors were added. He still uses this design today. When he was at Renault, his helmet had a light blue ring. When he joined Ferrari, his helmet changed to black and grey.

In 2004, Fisichella was the first Formula One driver to have his HANS device (a safety device) painted in his helmet colors. Other drivers soon followed this trend.

After Formula One

Sports Car Racing

Fisichella started racing sports cars in 2010. He drove for AF Corse in a Ferrari F430. He raced in the Le Mans Series and briefly in the American Le Mans Series.

The Ferrari 458 Italia that Fisichella drove in the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans

In 2011, Fisichella and his co-driver Gianmaria Bruni won the championship in their class in the Le Mans Series. They finished second at the Le Mans 24-hour race and won the 1000 km of Spa race.

In 2012, Fisichella and the AF Corse team won first place in their class at the 80th 24 Hours of Le Mans. He drove the last part of the race. After a tough 2013, Fisichella raced in America for a bit. But he returned to AF Corse and won the Le Mans 24-hour race again in 2014! He then won two more races in America.

Open-Wheel Racing

In 2022, Fisichella raced in three races in the S5000 category in Australia. He said he was excited to race in Australia again. His Formula One career started shortly after the last F1 race in Adelaide. He had never driven on the Adelaide Street Circuit before. He expected the S5000 car to be very fast there.

Other Activities

Besides driving, Giancarlo also supported his own GP2 racing team, FMS International.

Personal Life

Giancarlo Fisichella is part of a noble Italian family from Sicily.

He married Luna Castellani on October 10, 2009. They have three children: Carlotta, Christopher, and Carolina.

He is a big fan of the Italian football team Roma. He is also the captain of the official "Nazionale Piloti" (National Drivers) association football team.

Fisichella even had a small role in the 2019 movie The Art of Racing in the Rain. He played a Ferrari team member in the final scenes.