FiSi
Giancarlo "Giano" Fisichella (Italian pronunciation: [dʒaŋˈkarlo fiziˈkɛlla]; born 14 January 1973), also known as Fisico or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver and motorsport executive who competed in Formula One from 1996 to 2009. Fisichella won three Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
Born and raised in Rome, Fisichella is a member of the noble Fisichella family of Sicily. After starting his career in kart racing, he progressed to Italian Formula Three in 1992, winning the title in 1994 with RC Motorsport, as well as the Monaco F3 Grand Prix. Following a season in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, Fisichella graduated to Formula One with Minardi in 1996, debuting at the Australian Grand Prix. He moved to Jordan for 1997, achieving his maiden podium finishes at the Canadian and Belgian Grands Prix. He joined Benetton in 1998 with multiple further podiums, as well as his maiden pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix. Several podiums followed across his remaining three seasons at Enstone: one in 1999, three in 2000—where he finished sixth in the World Drivers' Championship—and one in 2001.
Fisichella returned to Jordan in 2002, where he claimed his maiden win at the wet-weather Brazilian Grand Prix the following year; his victory was declared after five days of deliberation and court proceedings due to a timekeeping error classifying him second. He partnered Felipe Massa at Sauber for his 2004 campaign, scoring several points finishes. His return to Enstone with Renault in 2005 alongside Fernando Alonso was headlined by his debut victory from pole in Australia, claiming multiple further podiums as he finished fifth overall. He achieved a career-best fourth in the World Drivers' Championship in 2006, winning the Malaysian Grand Prix from pole as he helped Renault win back-to-back World Constructors' Championships. After a winless 2007 campaign, Fisichella joined Force India for 2008 and 2009, finishing second from pole at the latter Belgian Grand Prix; he replaced an injured Massa at Ferrari for the final five rounds and remained their reserve driver through 2010. Fisichella departed Formula One with three victories, four pole positions, two fastest laps, and 19 podium finishes.
Following his departure from Formula One, Fisichella moved into sportscar racing with AF Corse, winning the Le Mans Series in 2011 and the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 in the GTE class. He again took a class victory at Le Mans in 2014, when he moved to the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Risi Competizione. He later returned to WEC from 2018 to 2022, after which he shifted to Italian GT3. Beyond driving, he founded the eponymous Fisichella Motor Sport in 2005, managing the team in the GP2 Series from 2006 to 2009.
Similar Artists