Fisi not Coulthard - 2007 will be my year !

josvandeperre · 6 Nov 2006, 16:00 (Ref:1759113)

"I'm confident to win the world championship; I will be a main player together with Raikkonen and Alonso," Fisichella was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday.

Ahhh - bless.......

Marbot · 6 Nov 2006, 16:36 (Ref:1759151)

So he's only got KR and FA to worry about then..........hmmmm.

Alienman_69 · 6 Nov 2006, 16:44 (Ref:1759160)

I had some laughs when I saw what Fisi been saying.
The guy is under great pressure, there are no more excuses for him anymore and although he has a contract, if he gets beat by Kovalainen he wont even get to the end of the year and he knows it. If he makes it to the middle of the 2007 season wont be bad, as for wining the world championship, maybe on playstation2 he might have a chance.

Marbot · 6 Nov 2006, 16:52 (Ref:1759177)

Here's a link.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/55529

I would imagine that statement has made everyone feel so much more optimistic down at Enstone.

ralf fan · 6 Nov 2006, 16:57 (Ref:1759184)

I fully expect Kovalainen to regularly beat Fisi by the end of the year.....

although to be fair to Giancarlo...what do you expect him to say.... "I couldnt do it with 2 great cars so there is no chance in hell that i will be WDC next year"

f1manoz · 6 Nov 2006, 17:20 (Ref:1759214)

I think Alonso completely psyched him out so not having him there in 2007 could be a real boost for Giancarlo. I don't think he'll be WDC but IMO he'll really give it a go. I'm not going to write him off just yet.

kipper · 6 Nov 2006, 18:09 (Ref:1759246)

Renault are likely to produce a good car next year; Fisichella is a good driver (although not in the Michael Schumacher, Alonso league) so it has to be a realistic possibility.

davyboy · 6 Nov 2006, 18:14 (Ref:1759248)

He could win the championship alright... McLaren aren't that strong and Ferrari without Brawn and a lot of the very strong backroom staff will be an unknown quantity. But how would we feel about Fisichella as a driver's champion ? Is he worthy of that acolade in present company ?

jhansen · 6 Nov 2006, 18:23 (Ref:1759256)

He's only worthy if he wins it. And if he wins it he has proven himself worthy in my opinion.

Knowlesy · 6 Nov 2006, 18:43 (Ref:1759271)

Sorry, but Kovaleinen will blow Fisi into the weeds rather comprehensively. I'd be willing to bet this will happen pretty quickly.

Having said that, if Renault are head and shoulders above the rest he has a shot. A very slim shot, but a shot nonetheless.

alonso11 · 6 Nov 2006, 18:44 (Ref:1759272)

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1manoz

I think Alonso completely psyched him out so not having him there in 2007 could be a real boost for Giancarlo. I don't think he'll be WDC but IMO he'll really give it a go. I'm not going to write him off just yet.

yea i totally agree with that. no random guy can go around and beat Fisi regularly. as a matter of fact, no team-mate did beat him over a whole season, ever, the first guy whos pace Fisi just couldnt get was Nando. that musta been hard to deal with, but now with no Nando around Fisi can restore his confidence and be a driver like he used to be and that means FAST. Afterall drivers didnt vote him the driver of drivers a few years ago (in 2003 that was?) for nothing.

Also, its a bit funny that the same people whos bashin Fisi now, went on and on about what a great underdog hes been. Basically, thanks to some of his increddible races with Jordan and Benetton, everybody thought that with a top team he would be beating the world. Now the same people are laughin on this article, im not laughing, I think Fisi is still great, the only thing made him look bad was the Nando-factor.

Knowlesy · 6 Nov 2006, 19:02 (Ref:1759285)

Yes. The thing is, yes the Nando-factor is gone (as you call it) but now there is the Ikki factor (if we shall call it that

).

Who will the team be centred round? The promising rookie or the spent force? It is a tough one for Renault actually, and makes the retaining of Fisi look slightly odd.

ralf fan · 6 Nov 2006, 19:09 (Ref:1759293)

The team i think will focus on building the car around Heikki IMO... like they did with Fernando....
I think this is one of the reasons Renault may have a substandard 07.... the car has been built around Alonso for 4 years and i dont think it will be easy for them to suddenly adapt it around another drivers style...
remains to be seen though....

Marbot · 6 Nov 2006, 19:11 (Ref:1759295)

Quote:

Originally Posted by knowlesy

It is a tough one for Renault actually, and makes the retaining of Fisi look slightly odd.

Especially when you consider that they could have easily hired JV......................Oh No,What have I done!

foreversideways · 6 Nov 2006, 19:40 (Ref:1759316)

This comment reminds me of the famous phrase.
"Always remember to put brain into gear before mouth".
Never understood why people do this, a comment like that can only come back to haunt you.

Knowlesy · 6 Nov 2006, 19:43 (Ref:1759322)

Of course, I don't doubt thyat Fisi's comments will have been taken out of context a little.

Like DC. He never once said "next year is mine". This is just what Autosport chose to emblazon across their covers every year.

Fisi has probably just said, cautiously, that he has a good chance. Which is also rubbish, but still...

**touringlegend** · 6 Nov 2006, 19:54 (Ref:1759337)

While it's crazy in the context on the past few seasons, if McLaren and Ferrari produce a slow a car next year, it's not beyond the bound of possibilities. But it scares me somewhat that Fisichella could be called a world champion..

davyboy · 6 Nov 2006, 20:07 (Ref:1759349)

All the current indicators would point to Heikki usurping Fisi. Fisi must be like a rabbit staring in the headlights right now as he readies himself yo be lunched by another kid. However, people do have bad luck [a la Johnny Herbert in the Jag] and we need bring that fact to bear. Should Heikki suffer a similar fate, and should the Renault be as good as it was this year... Fisi could luck into the crown. Stranger things have happened you know.

baclightning · 6 Nov 2006, 20:28 (Ref:1759362)

"I will be a main player together with Raikkonen and Alonso..."

Not exactly controversial in my book.

I don't believe for a moment that Fisi will win the WDC next season, but from his point of view, there are certainly reasons for optimism.

1. The best driver in the field has retired.

2. The second best driver has moved to a new team. Despite his undoubted talent, and the team's rich history, it is a team that failed to win a single race last season.

3. The third best driver is also moving, to a team that has been built around the departing driver, and will be missing several key administrative and technical members.

4. His teammate, although extremely talented, has never driven an F1 race.

Renault has been a fast starter over the past couple of seasons, building up a significant points lead in the opening races. Fisi is probably counting on the assumption that his rivals will take a few races to get settled into their new roles, while he is driving for the same team he has for the past couple of years.

From his point of view, a window of opportunity is there if he can string together a few wins leading off the season. By the time Fernando and Kimi get settled into their new teams, and his new teammate whose name I can't spell off the top of my head starts to outpace him, he'll have built up a lead that's impossible to overcome, and his teammate will have to play a support role regardless of whether he's faster or not.

Once again, I don't think things will happen that way. I expect the champion to be Fernando or Kimi. I think it's more likely that Jenson Button will be WDC in 2007 than Fisi. But I understand why Fisi hopes for the best.

BTW, I'd actually like to see Fisi be WDC, just to break that 53-year championship drought for Italian drivers! (No, Mario doesn't count...)

Mr V · 6 Nov 2006, 20:49 (Ref:1759384)

Quote:

Originally Posted by knowlesy

Sorry, but Kovaleinen will blow Fisi into the weeds rather comprehensively. I'd be willing to bet this will happen pretty quickly.

Agreed on that, go Heikki

Quote:

Originally Posted by knowlesy

and makes the retaining of Fisi look slightly odd.

Well if rumours are to be believed they re-signed him as soon as they found out about Alfonso leaving, 7 or 8 months before Renault actually announced his re-signing. They didn't know who else they could have got at the time, so, i suppose, better the devil you know, even if he is not the ideal candidate. Imo, it's better to have one existing driver and one new driver to the team as oppossed to two new drivers. But i fully expect Heikki to be having a new team mate at Renault for 2008!

alonso11 · 6 Nov 2006, 21:47 (Ref:1759446)

Quote:

Originally Posted by knowlesy

Sorry, but Kovaleinen will blow Fisi into the weeds rather comprehensively. I'd be willing to bet this will happen pretty quickly.

yea, im not quite sure what makes it so obvious that Heikki is going to be anything like Fernando, and that he is not goint to be like RSchumacher, Button, Massa, Sato or Wurz (not to mention Firman or Lamy)

Fisi is a proven quality, Heikki seems competetive, but so far, what we know for sure is that he came 3rd behind Kerr in F3, runner-up to Motagny in TWS and to Rosberg in Gp2. Nando is a multiply world champion. Nowadays its just fashionable to bash Fisi, as he is the number one underachiever (in a close battle with Rubens) but I will be honestly surprised if he doesnt get the upper hand at Renault next year.

SennaTheGreat · 6 Nov 2006, 22:14 (Ref:1759474)

Fisi in my opinion has always been a very good/fast driver. i certainly wont rule him out of the title race until say mid season if he is some 30 points behind the title race!!

Raven · 7 Nov 2006, 00:52 (Ref:1759560)

I think what we have now are two drivers (Alonso & Raikkonen) that are a cut above the rest.

Prior to the 2005 season, a lot of people expected the Raikkonen/Montoya and the Alonso/Fisichella pairings to be quite evenly matched with all 4 having established themselves as top line drivers who had won races and outperformed previous team mates. However, Raikkonen and Alonso were ultimately much more dominant than many expected, while JPM & GF's reputations were left in tatters.

I personally still regard GF and JPM as very formidable and capable drivers - probably still top 5 or 6, albeit not quite on the same level as KR or FA. It's like in Tennis with Federer (or Nadal on clay), you have your Hewitts, Roddicks, etc, who are unquestionably top tier guys, but still consistently playing 2nd fiddle.

Fisichella hasn't lost that ability that saw him comprehensively beat former team mates Button, Ralf or Massa... And I don't think the rest are really all that much better, they are just in better situations. Lets face it, there seems to be this notion that if you're beating your team mate in F1, you're good, but if you're not, you're crap.

It's certainly a high level of expectation being heaped on Kovalainen to carry on where Alonso finished off. Not saying it can't happen, but not something I'm expecting.

**John Turner** · 7 Nov 2006, 01:22 (Ref:1759573)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SennaTheGreat

Fisi in my opinion has always been a very good/fast driver.

True, but he seems incapable of actually racing anyone. For him to win the WDC would require the Renault to be THE truly dominant car of 2007 and for Kovaleinen to be less competent than we are led to believe he will be!

**Bononi** · 7 Nov 2006, 01:35 (Ref:1759584)

Well, let's see... November. Oh well, off season has started ! Ok, everyone is allowed to say whatever they want to say... until March, next year.

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