The winner of the Australian GP started 2005 in style. Here, he talks about his race and his ambitions for the rest of the year.
Giancarlo, you might have won the second race of your career, but it’s the first time you have stepped onto the podium as a winner…Giancarlo Fisichella: It’s true. This was an unforgettable day for me: the race was excellent. It’s a great feeling to win the first race of the year, and to be on the podium with the Italian and the and the champagne: it’s all been written into my memories. I’ve waited ten years to have a car like this in Formula One, and I don’t want to let my chance slip by.
How would you summarise your race?GF: I was taking it quite easy and managing the gap without pushing to the limit. I went quicker at the end when Barrichello was catching me, but that’s all. The car was well balanced and the tyres were consistent from start to finish. I had some understeer at one point, but it wasn’t serious. We decided not to change the set-up at the pit-stops because it’s better to have understeer than oversteer with the new rules.
It looked like Rubens Barrichello might catch you at one point…GF: When my engineer told me that the Ferrari was catching me, I upped the pace. The performance was there in the car, and I showed a bit more of it, which allowed me to stretch the gap.
Did you have any problems with the tyres?GF: No. I was really looking after them at the start of the race, and at the end, the car was still very quick – that was when I set my fastest laps.
Do you also need to thank Lady Luck for this win?GF: It’s true that I was lucky with the rain shower on Saturday afternoon, and had a big lead to play with in second qualifying to get pole. However, I was second on the absolute times in Sunday qualifying, and with the fuel load I had, it was a good performance. We would have been very competitive this weekend whatever.
What does this win mean in terms of the championship?GF: I’m feeling very confident. I know it is only the start of the year, but we have lots of potential. I knew it as soon as I drove the R25 in January. It’s quick over a single lap and a race distance, so we need to push with the development now. I think the championship will come down to a fight between Ferrari, McLaren and Renault.
1 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 57 1:24:17.3362 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 57 +5.5 secs3 Fernando Alonso Renault 57 +6.7 secs4 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 57 +16.1 secs5 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 57 +16.9 secs6 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 57 +35.0 secs7 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 57 +38.9 secs8 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 57 +39.6 secs9 Jarno Trulli Toyota 57 +63.1 secs10 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 57 +64.3 secsRet Jenson Button BAR-Honda 56 +1 Lap12 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 56 +1 Lap13 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 56 +1 LapRet Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 55 +2 Laps15 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 55 +2 Laps16 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 55 +2 Laps17 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 53 +4 LapsRet Michael Schumacher Ferrari 42 +15 LapsRet Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 42 +15 LapsRet Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 16 +41 Laps
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