Last Sunday Giancarlo Fisichella started the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position and finished a close second to Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari after a strong race showing to earn the Force India team its first F1 points.

Today has been a very special day for Giancarlo Fisichella. The racing driver from Rome arrived in Maranello to meet Stefano Domenicali in the afternoon, starting immediately with his work to get ready with the Scuderia for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on the weekend after next. The first step was to set up the F60’s cockpit for him. Later on Fisichella met the technicians who will work especially with him during the race weekend.

"I’m in seventh heaven," he said. "I still can’t believe it that the dream of my life comes true and I want to thank Ferrari and Chairman Luca di Montezemolo. Over the last week some really incredible things happened to me: the pole position and then second place at Spa and now I’m called by Ferrari to race the last five races of the season for them.

"I’ll give my best to recompense the Scuderia for this great opportunity they gave me: I know that it won’t be easy, but I’ll give it everything to gain the best possible results. I want to say that I’m very sorry for Luca: I know how much he cared to race in Monza behind the wheel of a Ferrari, because this is the best thing that can happen to an Italian driver, to drive a red car in front of our fans."

"We chose Giancarlo, because we think that he can make a significant contribution in terms of points during the finale of this uncertain season,” Team Principal Stefano Domenicali said. "Furthermore we considered what could be his role inside the team in the near future, also taking this year’s experiences into account. He will be the reserve driver in 2010. I want to thank Vijay Mallya and Force India F1 for giving Giancarlo the possibility to cancel his contract in such a happy moment for the team, allowing him to crown his dream as a driver.

"Now we have to concentrate on Monza, an event we really care for in a very special way," continued Domenicali. We know that it will be difficult to keep the performance level we had over the last Grands Prix, but we’ll give our best to entertain our fans and I hope there will be lots of them at the track to support us.”

A curiosity: Monza won’t be a proper debut for Fisichella behind the wheel of a Formula 1 Ferrari. Giancarlo was one of the four Italian drivers – together with Gianni Morbidelli, Luca Badoer and Pierluigi Martini – who tested in Fiorano on 27 September 1995 behind the wheel of a 412 T2: 14 years later the feeling when he passed through the gates in Maranello was definitely different.