Giancarlo Fisichella facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giancarlo Fisichella
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Fisichella at the 2012 6 Hours of Fuji
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| Born | 14 January 1973 Rome, Italy
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| 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 January 14, 1973) is an Italian racing driver. He is also known as "Giano" or "Fisi." He competed in Formula One from 1996 to 2009. Formula One is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars. Fisichella won three Formula One races during his 14 seasons. As of July 2025, he competes in GT World Challenge Asia for LM Corsa.
Giancarlo was born and grew up in Rome, Italy. He is part of the noble Fisichella family from Sicily. During his Formula One career, he raced for several teams. These included Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India, and Ferrari. He was also a reserve driver for Ferrari in 2010.
His first win was at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. This race was very chaotic and stopped early due to safety concerns. After some confusion about the rules, Fisichella was officially declared the winner a few days later. He received his trophy at the next race. He joined the Renault team in 2005 and won his first race with them in Australia. However, his teammate, Fernando Alonso, won more races for Renault. Even though Fisichella was a highly-rated driver, he couldn't quite match Alonso's pace. Still, his strong finishes helped Renault win two team championships in 2005 and 2006.
Outside of Formula One, Fisichella has raced in sportscar racing events for AF Corse. He won his class twice at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He also won a class at Petit Le Mans. Besides driving, Fisichella started his own racing team, FMS International, in 2005. He managed this team in the GP2 Series until 2009.
Contents
Early Racing Days
Like many Formula One drivers, Giancarlo started kart racing when he was young. He raced at the Guidonia Kart circuit. In 1992, he began competing in the Italian Formula Three Championship. He finished second in 1993. In 1994, he won the championship after winning races in Monaco and Macau. For a short time in 1995 and 1996, he raced touring cars for Alfa Romeo.
Formula One Journey
Minardi Team (1996)
In 1996, Giancarlo moved up to Formula One. He made his first race start for the Minardi team. He had been their official test driver the year before. However, he didn't finish the whole season. Minardi needed a driver who could bring money to the team, so they replaced Fisichella.
Jordan Team (1997)
In 1997, he joined Eddie Jordan's team, Jordan. He raced alongside Michael Schumacher's brother, Ralf. 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 Hockenheim race, he almost won, but a flat tire stopped him. He showed his skill again at the rainy 1997 Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished second. After this, the Benetton team signed him for 1998.
Benetton Team (1998–2001)
In 1998, Benetton used older Renault engines. Even so, Fisichella finished second in Montreal and Monaco. He was close to winning in Canada but had gearbox problems. In Austria, he got his first pole position (starting from the very front of the grid). However, a crash during the race ruined his chances.
The 1999 season was also up and down. He got some points finishes, including another second place in Montreal. He almost won the 1999 European Grand Prix but spun off the track while leading. This was his best chance for a win for a few years.
The 2000 season was similar. He had some surprise podium finishes early on in Brazil, Monaco, and Canada. But Benetton struggled in the second half of the year. Fisichella had performed better than his teammate Alexander Wurz. In 2001, Benetton had a difficult car. Fisichella still managed to get the team's best results, including a third-place finish in Belgium. Despite his efforts, he was not kept by the team and rejoined Jordan for 2002.
Back to Jordan (2002–2003)
In 2002, Fisichella scored seven points. The Jordan car was not very competitive that year. In 2003, Jordan switched to Ford engines, but the team still struggled. Despite this, Fisichella won his first race at the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. He was battling with McLaren's 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, the racing authority (FIA) decided that Fisichella had been leading when the race was stopped. This gave him his first Formula One victory. He is the only F1 driver to win a race without standing on the top step of the podium at the time. He received his winner's trophy at the next race in Imola.
Sauber Team (2004)
Fisichella was not happy with Jordan's performance, so he moved to Sauber in 2004. He hoped this would help him eventually drive for Ferrari, who supplied engines to Sauber. Fisichella drove well all year, scoring 22 points and performing better than his teammate Felipe Massa.
Renault Team (2005–2007)
2005 Season
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His strong driving led his former Benetton-Renault boss, Flavio Briatore, to sign him for the 2005 season. He became teammates with the young Spanish driver Fernando Alonso. Fisichella won the first race of the season in Melbourne. This seemed like a big breakthrough for him. However, he had some bad luck and fell behind Alonso in the championship. Alonso was very consistent and won the championship. Fisichella's bad luck cost him points. He lost the lead on the final lap of the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix to Kimi Räikkönen. Despite this, his efforts helped Renault win the World Constructors' Championship. This was a big achievement, as Ferrari had won it for the previous six years.
2006 Season
The 2006 season was similar for Fisichella. He won in Malaysia, starting from pole position and driving strongly. However, he couldn't keep that pace in later races. He even struggled to get into the top ten in qualifying for some races. This meant he couldn't challenge Alonso for the Drivers' Championship. Still, he had some good results in the second half of the season. He finished ahead of Alonso at the 2006 United States Grand Prix. He ended the year fourth in the World Drivers' Championship with 72 points, one win, and five podium finishes. After finishing third in Japan, he dedicated his result to a friend who had passed away. He also secured a sixth-place finish in Brazil, which helped Renault win the Constructors' title again.
2007 Season
In 2007, Fisichella became Renault's lead driver after Fernando Alonso left. His teammate was Heikki Kovalainen, a young driver from Finland. Renault's cars were not as fast as in previous years. It's unclear if this was due to a change in tire suppliers or other reasons. In the early 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 for leaving the pit lane when the light was red. He said he was trying to avoid other cars and didn't see the light.
Force India Team (2008–2009)
2008 Season
After Renault signed Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr., Fisichella joined the Force India F1 team for the 2008 season. This was his third time with the team, which used to be Jordan. In the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix, he became the ninth driver to complete at least 200 Grands Prix.
Fisichella and the Force India team did not score any points in 2008. However, there were times when he was close to scoring points. For example, in Brazil, he climbed to fifth place due to an early tire change and his skill in wet weather. Force India announced on October 17 that Fisichella would stay with them for the 2009 season.
2009 Season
In 2009, Force India's new car had a Mercedes-Benz engine. Fisichella qualified 18th for the first race in Australia and finished 11th. On August 29, thanks to some good upgrades to the Force India car, Fisichella achieved the team's first pole position at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. He then scored Force India's first points and their first podium finish in Formula One, coming in second behind Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.
During that weekend, there were rumors that Fisichella might join Ferrari. He had always wanted to drive for Ferrari. On September 3, 2009, it was officially confirmed that Fisichella would leave Force India to drive for Ferrari at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, which was his home race.
Ferrari Team (2009)
Fisichella signed a contract to be a Ferrari driver for the rest of the 2009 season. He also became their reserve driver for 2010. He replaced Felipe Massa, who was injured. Fisichella remained a Ferrari test driver in 2010. By the end of 2010, he was replaced as a test driver by Jules Bianchi. However, he still remains part of the Ferrari team.
Racing Helmet Design
Fisichella's helmet was white with yellow and green stripes. It had a blue droplet shape on top. In 2004, silver and chrome flames were added to the design. In 2007, the Italian flag colors were included. When he joined Ferrari, his helmet changed to black and grey. In 2004, Fisichella was the first Formula 1 driver to have his HANS device (a safety device for the neck) painted in his own colors.
After Formula One
Sports Car Racing
Fisichella started racing sports cars in 2010. He drove for AF Corse in a Ferrari F430. In 2011, Fisichella, along with his co-driver Gianmaria Bruni, and the AF Corse team, won championships in the LM GTE Pro class of the Le Mans Series. They finished second at Le Mans and won the 1000 km of Spa.
In 2012, Fisichella continued with AF Corse in the World Endurance Championship. He won the first race of the season and came second in Spa. At the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, Fisichella and the AF Corse Team won first place in the GTE-Pro class. He had the honor of driving the final part of the race. After a tough 2013, Fisichella returned to AF Corse for the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours. They won again, covering more laps than in their 2012 win. He then raced in America and won at Road America and Virginia International Raceway.
Open-Wheel Racing Return
In 2022, Fisichella competed in three races at the 2022 Adelaide 500 in the S5000 category. He said he was excited to race in Australia again, especially since his Formula 1 career started shortly after the last F1 race in Adelaide. He had never driven on the Adelaide Street Circuit before.
Other Activities
Besides driving, Giancarlo Fisichella also supported his own GP2 team, FMS International.
Personal Life
Giancarlo Fisichella is connected to the Fisichella family, a noble family from Italy. He married Luna Castellani on October 10, 2009. They have three children: Carlotta, Christopher, and Carolina. He is a fan of the Italian football team Roma. He is also the captain of the official Nazionale Piloti (National Drivers) association football team. Fisichella had a small role in the 2019 movie The Art of Racing in the Rain. He played a Ferrari crew member.
Images for kids
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Fisichella at the 2012 6 Hours of Fuji
See also
In Spanish: Giancarlo Fisichella para niños
