Ferrari to Secure Fisichella Sauber F1 Seat?

Giancarlo Fisichella's 5-race stint with Ferrari in the late stages of the 2009 Formula One season seems to secure him another season in the series. The Roman driver replaced injured Felipe Massa for the final 5 Grands Prix of last season and, although he didn't score a single point for Ferrari, he was offered a 10-year reserve/test role with the Scuderia.

However, with Ferrari now providing Sauber F1 Team with powertrains for the 2010 F1 championship, it seems likely that the Italian company will try to impose the 36-year old driver in the drivers' lineup for the Swiss team. According to Spanish newspaper Diario AS, it now seems Fisichella is the only racer able to jeopardize Pedro de la Rosa's return to F1 with Sauber F1.

Last week, the Swiss team owner admitted that he will sign an “experience driver” for the 2010 season, so both the aforementioned drivers would qualify for that position.

In a recent interview with the German-language Red Bulletin, Fisichella's former teammate at Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen, revealed the constant struggle the Italian had to endure while driving the F60. Coming to Ferrari after a smashing result at Spa, with Force India Mercedes (pole position and podium finish), Fisichella was unable to master the F60 car, failing to make the scoreboard as a Ferrari-an.

“The car wasn't bad, it just had very little grip. Okay, it was difficult to drive, but I liked the 2009 Ferrari more than the 2008 one. I didn't cope too badly with it. In five races, however, Fisichella aged ten years,” joked Raikkonen, according to the aforementioned source.

Sauber F1 has so far announced one official driver for the 2010 campaign in the person of Japanese rookie Kamui Kobayashi. A confirmation for the vacant seat is expected to come in the next few weeks.