Fisichella sets up Ferrari shoot-out via Sauber switch
Giancarlo Fisichella could finally get the chance to prove himself in a top team if a plan to stage a year-long shootout for the secondFerrari seat comes to fruition next season.
The 30-year-old Italian is in talks with the Ferrari-enginedSauber team about joining them in 2004 when his team-mate could be the Ferrari test driver, Felipe Massa.
The Brazilian drove for Sauber last year but was dropped at the end of the season after proving quick but wild. The winner of the potential battle between Massa and Fisichella would be expected to replace Rubens Barrichello as Michael Schumacher's team-mate in 2005.
Sauber, who are expected to release Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld, admit they are in talks with Fisichella. A source said Fisichella's move to Sauber was "quite likely" to come off.
Fisichella, from Rome, is desperate to drive for a top team and has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Jordan several times this year. He visited the Swiss-based Sauber team's factory in Hinwil near Zurich on Wednesday and is free to leave Jordan at the end of the season.
Barrichello is having a poor season in comparison to 2002, when he won four grands prix. While Schumacher is leading the world championship, Barrichello has found the new F2003-GA difficult to drive. Even Schumacher's apparent desire to have Barrichello extend his Ferrari contract beyond 2004 looks unlikely to save him.
Heidfeld has been tipped to join Jordan, who are expected to be supplied next year with engines from Mercedes, with whom Heidfeld is still on a long-term contract.
It is unclear whether Fisichella's departure from Jordan would assist the attempts of the English novice Ralph Firman to hang on to his seat. His fellow debutant Justin Wilson is also looking for a step up from the Minardi team but he has been more strongly linked with Jaguar and BAR.
Meanwhile, the sport's car manufacturers have issued an ultimatum to the commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone and the other shareholders in the F1 holding company SLEC to resolve their dispute before the end of this year or resign themselves to the fact that there will be a breakaway series in 2008.
The F1 car manufacturers Mercedes, Ford, BMW, Renault and Fiat want a bigger share of revenues and transparent business practices. They have set up a company, GPWC, to negotiate with Ecclestone, who owns 25% of SLEC, and the four banks that own the other 75%.
"It has been too long," said the Renault Sport president Patrick Faure of the three-year stand-off. "It is now or never. We are ready to compromise but only if our goals are met. If we can reach a deal, it will take a matter of weeks. If not, we will all go our own ways."
Andrew Benson is motorsport editor ofwww.bbc.co.uk/sport