The Force India Formula One team have agreed to release Giancarlo Fisichella from his contract to join Ferrari for the remainder of the 2009 season following lengthy discussions over the past 24 hours. Giancarlo and his management team approached me yesterday with the proposal from Ferrari. For any Italian driver,a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception. No one should stand in the way of this. Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlos long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this,particularly when Giancarlo has made such a vital contribution to Force India, Vijay Mallya,Force India team principal,said in a statement. This agreement has been made in good faith and for the good of Giancarlo and the sport in general. A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari for Monza is a positive story for Formula One,which can only help raise the sports profile in these difficult times, said Mallya. Incredible Im in seventh heaven, Fisichella told Ferraris website. Im still having a hard time believing the fact that the dream of my life is coming true. In the last week incredible things have happened to me the pole position and second place in Spa and now the call from Ferrari. Im going to give my all to pay back Ferrari for such a great opportunity, said the driver,who will replace Luca Badoer at the Maranello-based team. Badoer was himself filling in for the injured Felipe Massa and had been unimpressive in two races. I am very grateful to Vijay Mallya for allowing me this opportunity. I hope in my turn I have helped Force India grow and be on the right path to achieve their own ambitions. They are now a very competitive team and I wish them all the very best. A decision regarding Fisichellas replacement will be made in the coming days,and while no further comment was made on this front,it is widely expected that test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi will take the spot.
