Force India - Hoping for a Miracle

It is difficult to pinpoint whether it is the lack of fluency in English or this writer�s perceived reticence that stops Giancarlo Fisichella from giving eloquent replies.
He uses words like �difficult�, �confident� and �challenge� repetitively. His Italian accent is on the slighter side though his body language is often pronounced when he shrugs his drooping shoulders as he grapples with words.
The 35-year-old Force India driver was here to be part of a promotional event, for his sponsors, a day after he completed the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. And Fisichella says it has pushed him beyond limits.
�I am exhausted. Both physically and mentally,� he says. �As soon as I finished my race yesterday I had to rush to my hotel, take a shower and fly to this country.�
�But it is a pleasure to be here and I will be going back home tonight to prepare for the last race of the season,� he adds.

Indeed the last race of the season is the final shot for Fisichella to live up to his own record. This will be his first season after 12 years without a single point to his name.
�Why no point?� Fisichella confirms the question. �Well, there is one more race left.�
This quiet confidence is seemingly something of an undercurrent; it hardly gushes loud. The racer, however, feels that having to prove himself season after season has made it pretty basic for him.

�There is no big change to the way I approach my driving,� says Fisichella. �Everyday, I sit in my car and push it to the maximum and that�s what my attitude is and that�s what I believe in.�
Before his stint with Force India, Fisichella has driven for the likes of Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber and Renault. A former teammate of Fernando Alonso, he says joining Force India is not a comedown for him.
�I knew that the present year is going to be difficult before I signed the contract,� Fisichella says. �But I believe in their programme. And I believe that the future is going to be better.�
But when pressed if it is a new low for somebody who was Alonso�s teammate, all he says is it was not easy. �Coming here after racing with Renault wasn�t easy. The car wasn�t easy too.
�I was aware of all this. But I take it as a challenge and feel that next year, and hopefully with a new car, it will be different.� Also, the Engine Rules Freeze comes into effect next season and that he says puts all cars on some sort of level platform. �Next season even the small teams can hope to do well.� Fisichella says he believes in part Force India owner Vijay Mallya. �Mallya has brought F-1 to India and is pouring in a lot of money. His ambition is to have a podium finish in 2010.�
As to just how realistic that ambition is lost in the veils of the future. Right now, Fisichella can only be optimistic. �It is difficult but anything is possible. This year (Toro) Rosso won in Monza and I won the Brazilian GP driving a Jordan car, which wasn�t great. I see no reason why we cannot have a podium finish in 2010.�
When asked how Indian is Force India, he says: �Force India factory is set in England and we have lot of Englishmen and Italian engineers working. But it is owned by an Indian and so is an Indian team.� Err� he seems to have forgotten the Mol family which has a 50% stake.