Giancarlo Fisichella regrets never having had the opportunity to race for the same team as Michael Schumacher, as the Italian recalls at the festival against the seven-time world champion.
Most of Fisico’s Formula 1 career overlapped with Schumacher’s time in the sport, he spent much of his career competing more on the grid. He enjoyed his fate of ultimate success by the time the German’s first F1 spell was ending, winning 3 races in the mid-2000s.
Fisichella was impressive in the 2006 season, completing fourth place in the drivers’ standings after securing five podiums and completing things outdoors only twice. However, he is aware that those figures pale in comparison to Schumacher’s record.
“He was a big football fan and we kicked a ball together,” he told Rai Italia as he recalled his memories of competing with the F1 legend. “As a colleague, he was an incredible opponent and rewrote the history of Formula 1. “.
“Having raced with him, he gave me a lot, and the few times I got here in front made me even more proud because he’s a wonderful champion. It is a ruthless fate that someone who, as a runner, has risked his life so much is seriously injured while skiing. “
While he also raced for Jordan, Benetton and Mercedes in F1, Schumacher’s call is synonymous with Ferrari. Fisichella also had the chance to drive for the Scuderia, but that for a handful of races in 2009 replacing the injured Felipe Massa.
The fact that he never had the chance to call Schumacher his teammate remains one of the Italians. He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Unfortunately I have never raced in the same team, it would have been useful to see their telemetry. “
“But we shared so many smart moments in the races and with the national drivers’ team. Sometimes he would get out of the car or finish a football game and he didn’t even seem to have sweated. “
After the end of his F1 career, Fisichella enjoyed wonderful good fortune in staying power racing. The highlight comes with two elegant victories at the celebrated 24 Hours of Le Mans and several other victories in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
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