Fisichella targets victory down under
Giancarlo Fisichella has victory in his sights at this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The Italian has rejoined Renault, whom he drove for in their days as Benetton, for 2005 and wants to reward the team’s faith in him with a win at Albert Park.
Fisichella has always been rated as one of the quickest drivers in Formula One but has rarely had the car to show off his talents. Now he has the might of Renault behind him, he is aiming high.
He said: “The Albert Park circuit is not my favourite, but my results there have always been pretty good, and I enjoy the atmosphere during the weekend. For the first time, I am going to Melbourne hoping to fight for the race win.
“Things look good for us. We have a strong package, the R25 has done lots of miles over the winter and the set-up is getting better and better.
“I am confident in the car, and pleased with our level of performance. In testing, we have almost always been among the quickest teams, so we hope that it can translate to race conditions.”
However, Fisichella’s new teammate Fernando Alonso believes the Albert Park street circuit will not suit Renault. The Spaniard feels Ferrari are still the team to beat after five years of complete dominance.
He said: “I don’t think Melbourne is a perfect circuit for us. Other tracks will suit our car better, but looking at the winter testing times, I hope we will be very competitive.
“The secret for the weekend will be to avoid problems, because nobody can afford to lose track time at the first race of the year.
“In terms of competitiveness, I expect Ferrari to be the number one team still, and McLaren have looked very strong during the winter. I think those two teams will be our biggest rivals.”
