Force India boss Vijay Mallya has rubbished comments by the team's commercial director Ian Phillips suggesting that Giancarlo Fisichella is likely to race for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix.
Phillips told the BBC on Monday morning that he expected Ferrari to ask Force India to release Fisichella from his contract “within the next 24 hours or so” so that the Italian could replace struggling compatriot Luca Badoer as stand-in for the injured Felipe Massa.
“Nobody’s asked us yet, but I think it’s pretty likely that somebody will make a telephone call to Vijay Mallya over the next 24 hours or so asking if we would release him to go to Ferrari,” Phillips said.
Badoer has struggled to get anywhere near the pace on his return to F1 after 10 years as a test driver, and Phillips believes Ferrari cannot afford to have one of its cars running at the back of the field in front of the tifosi at Monza.
Instead he expects the Maranello squad to turn to Fisichella, who underlined his credentials with his heroic pole position and runner-up finish at the Belgian Grand Prix.
“I don’t think they've really got any options,” said Phillips.
“Ferrari being Ferrari, they are going to their home race at Monza, which is a place with a cauldron-like atmosphere, particularly for the Italian team.
“Seats will be thrown on the track if Ferrari aren’t doing well, so they’re going to have to put somebody in there who can basically run around with [Kimi] Raikkonen at the front of the field.
“So we do expect that a move will probably be made over the next 24 hours or so.”
Mallya quickly moved to rebut Phillips, noting curtly that the team stalwart is not “authorised to speak to the media” and that his comments “should therefore be ignored”.
Mallya maintains there is no substance to the rumours that Fisichella will take Badoer’s place, and insists that he fully expects the Roman to race for Force India at Monza.
“During a press conference via telephone shortly after the team’s podium finish, in response to specific and repeated questions on the subject, Fisichella has himself clarified that he has ‘not received any invitation from Ferrari’ and went on to add that he was ‘looking forward to driving the Force India car at the Monza GP’,” Mallya said in a statement.
“There has been absolutely no change whatsoever on this front since yesterday and we look forward to Fisichella scorching the tracks at Monza.
“Ian Phillips’ comments do not reflect the views of the Force India team management since he is not the designated spokesperson for the team nor is he authorised to speak to the media.
“His comments should therefore be ignored.
“We completely deny as baseless, whatever is reportedly attributed to him in reports that have appeared in a section of the press a short while ago.”
Fisichella has admitted that racing for Ferrari would be the realisation of a dream and that “anything could happen” were he to receive a call from the Scuderia.
But both he and his manager Enrico Zanarini have emphasised that as yet there has been no approach
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