For the latest of her series of candid interviews with the Formula 1 stars, ITV Sport’s intrepid pit lane reporter Louise Goodman caught up with popular Italian veteran Giancarlo Fisichella.
Fisi admits to swearing “every day and every night�, thinks he would make a pretty good F1 engineer, and can’t wait for F1 to dump Magny-Cours…
Louise Goodman: How much of a performance gain has the recent introduction of your seamless shift gearbox given to Force India?
Giancarlo Fisichella: For sure it’s a big step forwards – around two- to three-tenths of a second quicker per lap depending on the circuit.
It’s not just a quicker shift, you’ve also got a better response from the engine and the driveability is better too. We’ve definitely made a step forwards.
In fact, if you look at our qualifying times from the last couple of races, we’ve been relatively close to the quickest lap times even though we’ve been at the back of the grid.
If you compare that to four or five years ago, being less than 1.5 seconds off the quickest lap time would have put you much further up the grid.
Everyone’s very close now. We’ve made a big step forward but unfortunately it’s still not enough.
Louise: How important is it that Force India gets at least one point before the end of the season?
GF: Really important. It’s our target; to be in the top 15 in the qualifying session and score at least two points in the championship.
But it’s not easy – as I said, it’s very tight with other teams.
My best result so far is 10th in Barcelona. We’ve been very close to scoring points at some other races, but it’s not easy at all.
Louise: Looking to 2009 and beyond how do you see your future in Formula 1?
GF: I think next year I will stay here and anything could happen because there are new rules and you never know with slick tyres and with the new downforce configuration what can happen.
We can move a step forward and I think it’s going to be interesting for us.
And now for the trivia…
Other than driver, which job in the paddock would you be best at?
That’s not an easy question to answer. Maybe after so many years in Formula 1 I could be a good engineer.
Schumacher or Hill?
Schumacher – because he scored much better results than Hill and more championships. He’s one of the best drivers.
Which Olympic sport would you most like to win a gold medal for?
I like football best but football is not an individual sport, it’s11 players, and I think it would be much more exciting to win an individual event. Maybe the 100 metres – it’s one of the most exciting races.
Which is your favourite – Melbourne, Monaco or Monza?
I think Monaco. I like the place – I like the atmosphere, I like the circuit. It’s a difficult track but I have great memories from there.
What’s the last thing that made you laugh?
I don’t remember. I laugh a lot when I’m with my friends and family.
City break, beach resort or mountain hideaway?
I really like the sea and being on my boat but I also like the snow and the mountains.
What’s your karaoke staple?
Roma, Roma, Roma…
When was the last time you swore and who was it at?
I swear every day, every night – it was probably about five minutes ago and I was probably swearing at Ciro, the guy who helps me out at the races.
If you had a million pounds to spare, who would you give it to?
To children who are suffering and not in a good condition physically or mentally. There are a lot of organisations – it’s difficult to choose just one.
When was the last time you cried?
A long time ago. Actually I don’t remember. Ah yes I do – it was on the podium in Japan. My best friend had died the day before and it was a very emotional time for me.
Which race would you most like to see dropped from the calendar?
Magny-Cours, always. It’s in the middle of nowhere – there’s nothing exciting about it.