Ferrari have secured the services of experienced Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, for the rest of the 2009 season, after Force India agreed to release the 36 year-old Formula 1 driver from his existing contract.
Ferrari had been fielding Luca Badoer alongside Kimi Raikkonen after the freak accident suffered by Felipe Massa, the team’s leading driver. While Raikkonen won at Spa, in Belgium, last weekend, Badoer proved out of his depth, finishing last, lapped more than once by the leaders.
Badoer was released by Ferrari as they secured Fisichella’s services. The Ferrari principal, Stefano Domenicali, thanked the young driver, and blamed the circumstances of his hasty arrival as a race driver for his less than impressive performances:
“We wish to thank Luca Badoer for the team spirit he demonstrated in these circumstances… it is a shame he was unable to show his true worth in these last two races, tackled under conditions which anyone would have found difficult.”
Fisichella, when asked, confirmed that, as an Italian, driving for Ferrari has always been “an ambition” and thanked the Force India boss, Vijay Mallya, personally, for allowing the move.
