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Giancarlo Fisichella · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:18
  I'm automotive commentator and journalist Greg Rust and this is Rusty's Garage.
• 0:30
  To drive for the prancing horse is the stuff dreams are made of, especially if you're Italian.
• 0:36
  Giancarlo Fisichella started in go-karts at age eight and went all the way to Formula One.
• 0:42
  Fisci became part of the 200 club with over 200 starts in the sport.
• 0:47
  He's a winner of the Australian Grand Prix and now a stalwart of Ferrari's sports car racing program.
• 0:54
  Back down under for some GT races in Melbourne, I began by asking about the early years and early influences.
• 1:02
  Fissi, welcome.
• 1:03
  It's great to see you back in Australia.
• 1:06
  What are the first memories of cars and things like that when you were younger?
• 1:10
  What gave you the inspiration for racing?
• 1:14
  My father was a big fan of Formula One.
• 1:17
  and I started to watch Formula One and motor racing with him.
• 1:22
  And when I was young, my, let's say my favorite car was obviously Ferrari.
• 1:28
  My favorite driver was Niki Lauda.
• 1:33
  And then Ayrton Senna.
• 1:34
  What car did dad have when you were growing up?
• 1:37
  What were the family cars that you had back then?
• 1:39
  My father had a few different cars.
• 1:43
  When I was 18, when I got the drive license, I bought the Golf, Volkswagen Golf.
• 1:53
  GTI?
• 1:53
  GTI, yes.
• 1:54
  GTI.
• 1:54
  GTI.
• 1:54
  GTI.
• 1:54
  GTI.
• 1:55
  GTI.
• 2:00
  You began racing karts at age eight, I think it was, at a circuit not far from Rome, didn't you?
• 2:06
  Did you immediately fall in love with it?
• 2:08
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 2:09
  When I was eight, I went with my father to watch go-kart racing in this circuit, which is La Pista d'Oro in Rome.
• 2:19
  And then I was watching race.
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  I was enjoying it.
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  I was excited.
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  And then I saw...
• 2:27
  Children like my age, between eight and 10 years old, racing in go-karts.
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  So I get crazy.
• 2:35
  With my father, we went down to the, after the race, we went down to the box.
• 2:40
  We talk about to buy a go-kart, and from there, my story started.
• 2:46
  Was your father nervous, excited?
• 2:49
  What was he like?
• 2:51
  My father was a big fan, big fan of motorsport.
• 2:54
  and was very excited.
• 2:55
  I was really excited.
• 2:57
  Then when I started racing, he was even nervous, but he was the happiest father in the world.
• 3:04
  When you look back over most Formula One drivers' careers, karting is the constant thing.
• 3:10
  Just about all of them have been through it.
• 3:12
  How beneficial, how helpful is that from your driving career point of view?
• 3:16
  I think it's...
• 3:18
  it's crucial it's important it's the school the school of the the motorsport is to start in karting I did many years in go kart I started when I was 8 and still when I was 20, 21 I was doing Formula 3 and go kart together it was amazing
• 3:39
  I can say that was maybe the best time of my life, yes.
• 3:44
  You had success in Italy in Formula 3 there in the early 90s, and it looked like you would always go that open-wheeler career path, but you briefly went to international touring cars, didn't you, with Alfa Romeo?
• 3:57
  Was your heart still always in the passion for Formula 1, or did you enjoy that stint in the touring car?
• 4:02
  I won, in 1994, I won the Italian Championship.
• 4:06
  It was the time to grow up.
• 4:09
  With the category.
• 4:10
  Just at the beginning of 1995, I got a call from Alfa Romeo and I was quite nervous because they asked me if I was interested to race in the DTM and they offered me to do a test and then I was very excited.
• 4:31
  And then we signed the contract for two years.
• 4:33
  So it was amazing.
• 4:35
  But at the same time, or close to the same time, there was an opportunity with Minardi to get into Formula 1.
• 4:41
  What are those first recollections, those first memories of Formula 1 and driving a Formula 1 car for the first time?
• 4:47
  Yeah, then in 1995, I drove a couple of times the Minardi.
• 4:53
  In 1996, I was initially the test driver.
• 4:58
  I think 10 days before the race here in Melbourne in 1996, he had a problem with this driver, which was a Japanese driver.
• 5:09
  And this driver didn't bring money to race.
• 5:13
  So he called me 10 days before the start of the race and he said, Minardi, he said, Giancarlo, you come to Australia.
• 5:22
  Okay, what I have to do there?
• 5:24
  You're gonna race.
• 5:27
  I was shocked because I didn't expect to race here in Melbourne.
• 5:34
  So I can say Melbourne for me it's very important, it's an important circuit.
• 5:42
  I got great memories.
• 5:43
  My first race in Formula One, I won in Formula One in 2006.
• 5:49
  And so I'm really happy to be back here for this weekend, even if I'm not in Formula One, but I'm racing in the Australian GT.
• 5:57
  It's great.
• 5:57
  I'm really excited.
• 5:58
  Tell me about that car that you're racing in, Australian GT, obviously with support from Kaspersky.
• 6:04
  Ferrari, you've had such a wonderful association with them now that goes, you know, more than eight years.
• 6:10
  What is that car like to race and describe it a bit for our audience?
• 6:14
  Well, it's a great car.
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  I've raced with this car since two years already.
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  And it's a new 488.
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  It's a turbo engine.
• 6:25
  You know, with this car we do usually endurance race.
• 6:29
  And like Le Mans 24 hours, Daytona 24 hours, 12 hours, 6 hours.
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  And...
• 6:36
  Actually, this race in Melbourne will be a sprint race.
• 6:39
  It's going to be 25 minutes, two races each of 25 minutes.
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  So it's a short race.
• 6:43
  But the car is amazing.
• 6:46
  It's very strong.
• 6:48
  Considering which is a GT car, it's really quick.
• 6:51
  You talked about the endurance racing nature of your career or CV in more recent times, since 2010, I suppose, really.
• 6:59
  You know, success at Le Mans, success at Petit Le Mans.
• 7:02
  What do you enjoy about that endurance racing side of things?
• 7:06
  Well, I really enjoy the atmosphere, which is quite a lot different than Formula One.
• 7:13
  There is less pressure.
• 7:16
  You need to share the car with another driver and with another two drivers.
• 7:19
  So it's important to find a good relationship with the other two drivers.
• 7:28
  And you will never drive a car sued for your style of driving.
• 7:37
  for the three drivers.
• 7:39
  But in these few years, I did so many races, and I really enjoy any time I go racing in GT, it's great for me, yeah.
• 7:49
  I think the fans like it as well, because there's such a variety of different makes in that style of racing, from McLarens to, you know, all kinds of aspirational sports cars.
• 8:01
  Does the 488 GT3 have some unique traits?
• 8:05
  What things do you need to be mindful of when you're racing?
• 8:08
  With this car, I'd race in GT3 and in GT2.
• 8:12
  In GT3, we have to use the ABS, and in GT2, no.
• 8:18
  I prefer to drive the car without the ABS, which is more difficult, but it's more selected, you know.
• 8:26
  And then we have about the same power, just different specification of tires, which they are a little bit harder in GT3, but it's a very comfortable car, yeah.
• 8:41
  The Albert Park track, you said before, brings back some special memories for you.
• 8:45
  That famous victory you had here for Renault from pole position, we often reflect on that.
• 8:53
  What memories does that evoke for you?
• 8:55
  Yeah, memories is straight away in 1996, my first race in Formula One.
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  And I remember I was in the driver's briefing and I was looking around the other drivers.
• 9:07
  I was next to Michael Schumacher, Gerald Berg, Alessi, you know.
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  It was like a dream for me.
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  Then I won in 2006 with Renault.
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  I did a pole position.
• 9:25
  But apart from that, any times I came here, I really like to come here because I like the atmosphere.
• 9:32
  I like the people.
• 9:34
  They are very friendly.
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  I like the food.
• 9:37
  Everywhere you go, you find a fantastic atmosphere.
• 9:40
  And it's a great track too, isn't it, around the lake there, and it offers all sorts of great driver challenges.
• 9:46
  Yeah, it's a great track.
• 9:48
  It's like not a specific street circuit, but it's kind of.
• 9:55
  It's a mixed.
• 9:56
  There are a lot of very hard braking points, a lot of chicanes.
• 10:04
  and the first day it's quite slippery but then in the race there is a lot of rubber and the grip is coming down and it's good to drive the car around here, yeah.
• 10:19
  This is Greg Rust and you're listening to Rusty's Garage.
• 10:22
  More with Giancarlo Fisichella in just a moment.
• 10:32
  blow-off valve, an aftermarket part added to increase the audible noise of excess air being released from a turbocharger when the throttle is released.
• 10:40
  Common side effects can be excessive accelerating and unnecessary gear changes from the driver.
• 10:46
  Formula One has changed a lot since your win at Albert Park, but the cars back then that Renault were making, something like V10, 900 horsepower, they were just a beautiful car, weren't they?
• 10:59
  Yeah, it was a beautiful car.
• 11:02
  Obviously now the rules are different, the cars are different.
• 11:06
  They have a lot of power, a lot of aerodynamics, a lot of grip from the new tires, which they are quite large.
• 11:15
  What I don't like compared to my times is just the sound of the engine.
• 11:21
  The sound of the engine of the V10 or the V8, it was amazing.
• 11:27
  Now it's a bit...
• 11:31
  It's a bit soft, you know, it's not good.
• 11:34
  That was a special time during that V10 era.
• 11:36
  The sound was infectious, wasn't it?
• 11:39
  Ferrari, for you, you know, being with them since, you know, you became a test driver for them in Formula 1 and then now into GT racing.
• 11:47
  Why has the partnership worked so well?
• 11:49
  And it's a dream for most boys to be a part of the Ferrari family as much as you have.
• 11:55
  That's phenomenal.
• 11:56
  Absolutely.
• 11:56
  It's a dream for any driver around the world, especially for an Italian driver like me.
• 12:02
  That was my dream since when I was young.
• 12:06
  And the dream come true.
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  So I am lucky.
• 12:09
  I am proud of it.
• 12:11
  I'm working with them since 2009.
• 12:15
  And I hope to work with them even in the future.
• 12:17
  You're 45 now.
• 12:19
  I mean, you're not old, but in motor racing terms, you know, you're getting to that point where you'll probably think about the future.
• 12:26
  What do you want to do?
• 12:27
  You've had some team ownership things in other categories.
• 12:30
  What do you think you'd like to do long term?
• 12:32
  I think I will be racing driver for a few more years, until when I feel okay, until when I feel happy, and until when I enjoy to race and drive this car.
• 12:48
  Then when I was stopped, it would be nice, you know, to be... to help some drivers make up management, still, you know, working in this motorsport, which is my life.
• 13:03
  It's a hard thing to give up.
• 13:04
  I mean, it's good to hear that because, you know, it's been your life for so long, since you were eight years of age, you can't see yourself doing some other kind of career, clearly.
• 13:13
  Absolutely not.
• 13:14
  So I don't...
• 13:16
  I just want to continue in this sport and stay around the world in motor racing, following some young drivers.
• 13:26
  That's my dream, yeah.
• 13:28
  Is there, of all the cars that you've driven during your career, this is probably asking a lot because there's some good ones there, is there a favourite, is there one that is special in your heart, a race car that you think I really like that particular one?
• 13:41
  Well, obviously the Ferrari I drove in 2009, it's something special.
• 13:48
  But honestly, it wasn't a good car to drive, it was a difficult car, especially the last part of the season.
• 13:58
  was not strong enough compared to other cars.
• 14:02
  If I have to say one of the best cars I drove in my life is for sure Renault 2005 and 2006.
• 14:09
  That was an amazing car.
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  What was it like to drive?
• 14:13
  Tell the people listening, you know, we talked about how they sounded before and things like that, but what were they like to drive?
• 14:20
  Were they a very physical thing?
• 14:21
  I mean, 900 horsepower, all the aerodynamics, how hard is that?
• 14:24
  Yeah.
• 14:25
  Yeah, it was quite tough, physically, mentally, to drive this kind of car with a lot of power, with an impressive grip.
• 14:34
  And yeah, there was an help from the electronic staff because there was the launch control, there was the... How do you say it?
• 14:48
  Trash on control.
• 14:50
  But physically and mentally it was really tough.
• 14:56
  Is there a win in your career, one that you're most proud of?
• 15:01
  Well, any time I win, I'm proud of it.
• 15:06
  But I would say, you know, my first race, victory in Formula One was in 2003 in Brazil.
• 15:17
  And that was a strange race.
• 15:19
  It was raining.
• 15:22
  I won the race, but by a mistake, they gave me the second position.
• 15:27
  So don't celebrate my first victory in Formula One on the top of the podium.
• 15:34
  It's quite unfair.
• 15:36
  But then one week after they understood there was a problem by the chronometrist, by the steward, they gave me back the victory.
• 15:46
  That was a crazy race, wasn't it?
• 15:47
  I mean, wet conditions, lots of cars going out in Brazil.
• 15:50
  And the fact that you had to wait that week before you actually got the winner's trophy, that must have been tough, was it?
• 15:56
  Yeah, it was very tough because we knew we were the winners of the race.
• 16:02
  My engineer was sure I was shouting in the radio, but unfortunately, you know, I was second.
• 16:13
  Then one week after or ten days after, they understood the mistakes and they gave me back the trophy.
• 16:19
  How sweet did that feel then, to get that first win, knowing how long you had to wait?
• 16:23
  Yeah, it was bad.
• 16:25
  It was bad, but I was the winner.
• 16:27
  So that's on the history.
• 16:30
  Exactly.
• 16:31
  A car that you'd love to have in your garage that maybe you don't have now.
• 16:35
  Is there a dream car in Fissi's garage?
• 16:37
  It can be something brand new from the Ferrari factory.
• 16:40
  It could be a race car, a road car.
• 16:42
  It could be something from the past that you really would love to own.
• 16:46
  Well, I don't.
• 16:48
  I would say now one of the best cars, my favourite car is La Ferrari, which is an amazing car.
• 16:55
  I drove it with 950 horsepower.
• 16:59
  It's unbelievable.
• 17:01
  I like this car, yeah.
• 17:02
  Any restoration projects at all?
• 17:04
  Any old cars that you might like to restore one day or is that not a thing for you?
• 17:08
  No, no, I like just, I like obviously historic car, but I prefer more the new generation.
• 17:15
  You've had an amazing career and you're still racing, which is phenomenal.
• 17:19
  229 starts, three wins, 19 podiums just in Formula One, let alone your success at Le Mans and other places like that in sports cars.
• 17:26
  We wish you continued success and thank you for talking to us.
• 17:28
  Thank you very much.
• 17:29
  Thank you very much.
• 17:30
  Cheers.
• 17:37
  Rusty's Garage is written and presented by me, Greg Rust.
• 17:42
  Series producer and editor is Alex Mitchell.
• 17:45
  Audio production by Darcy Thompson.
• 17:55
  Listener.