Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Fisichella eyeing point in 200th F1 race

Fisichella eyeing point in 200th F1 race

Giancarlo Fisichella says he is hoping to celebrate his 200th Formula One start with his first point of the 2008 season.

The Force India driver will reach the milestone this weekend, having made his grand prix debut back in 1996 with the Minardi team.

The 35-year-old Roman admits he is feeling as motivated as in his first race, and is hoping to celebrate with his first point-scoring result of the year.

"Monaco will be my 200th race start, and it feels a long way away from my debut that's for sure, but I still feel as good and as confident as I did back then," said Fisichella in a team preview.

"Rubens' record of 257 starts will be hard to beat, but there is definitely a feeling of satisfaction to reach this milestone that only a handful of other drivers have got to. Even more satisfying is to know that I have a lot more to give and am still motivated to do well.

"To celebrate this at Monaco is fantastic as it's the best track in the world, one of my favourites, as the twisty track itself is phenomenal, the fans are so close to the cars so you get a real atmosphere, and the surroundings are so beautiful.

"It's certainly the best place for a celebration - I have to hope that we can celebrate a good result on Sunday too.

"Monaco has given me some good results, but last year was particularly good as I came home fourth when no one was expecting it. It was a result the team desperately needed too.

"Realistically this year we can't hope for fourth, but one point is my target - everything else that comes on top of that is a bonus. We have a new aero package that will for sure help us, but the whole race is a lottery so you've got to be lucky too."

Teammate Adrian Sutil is also eager to race at the principality, especially after he topped last year's Saturday's practice session.

"Monaco is one of my favourite tracks as it's the first real street circuit we go to this year," he said. "It's such a special place, with a unique atmosphere, there's a lot going on and the track is just fantastic.

"I'm really looking forward to it as, even though we didn't finish last year, it was actually one of my best weekends. It was such a great feeling when I saw my name in P1 on Saturday - no one expected it! For me it was important as that stage in the season as it gave me a lot of good feedback and made people realise we are serious about what we do.

"We have a better car this year and I hope we can do well. It can be tricky if it rains, but I don't mind as we saw last year! It was important for me to finish in Turkey as we could get a lot more mileage and also for my confidence to finish a race. Now I think we need to stay concentrated and get more finishes, do a good job and get a good result."



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