Williams Impressed by Fisichella's Speed
Sunday July 11th, 2004
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella caught Williams' eye on Sunday as he drove his Sauber from the back of the starting grid to sixth place in the British Grand Prix.
"That was very interesting to watch, that he was able to move to sixth from the back of the field and that's something that we have to look into," commented BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen.
"He had a fantastic race... a strong race, strong finish and strong driver obviously," said Williams co-owner and director of engineering Patrick Head.
Williams are looking for two new drivers for 2005 with Germany's Ralf Schumacher signing for Toyota and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya moving to McLaren.
Fisichella, 30, set his sights on a drive with a top team when he joined Sauber at the start of the season and is a prime candidate for a move to Williams, probably with Jaguar's Australian Mark Webber.
There was some speculation in the paddock at Silverstone this weekend that the Italian, surprise winner of last year's freakish Brazilian Grand Prix, was close to a deal with the BMW-powered team.
"He's always been on the list," said Head when asked whether Fisichella was a driver that interested them.
The Italian started at the back after having an engine replaced on the first day of practice and then failing to take part in final qualifying. It was the second time in 11 races that he had gone from the back to a scoring finish. At the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in May he went from 19th to sixth.
"I was so confident in my car today," he said. |
