Fisichella may swap Sauber for Renault
Tuesday, 27 July 2004 13:18Sauber driver Giancarlo Fisichella is close to joining Formula One rivals Renault, the Italian's manager said today.
"The signature is not officially down yet so you can never say it is sure in this sport," said Enrico Zanarini.
Speculation has mounted that Fisichella has already joined the Anglo-French team, who have said they will make an announcement later in the week.
Williams, who will lose Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya to McLaren-Mercedes and German Ralf Schumacher to Toyota for 2005, targeted the 31-year-old earlier in the year.
A place is available at Renault next year alongside Spain's Fernando Alonso after Jarno Trulli said at last weekend's German Grand Prix he would leave the team at the end of the season. Trulli is expected to join Ralf Schumacher at Toyota.
Fisichella drove for Benetton from 1998 to 2001 before the team changed its name to Renault, but was replaced by Trulli and joined Jordan in 2002, with whom he won his first Grand Prix last year in Brazil.
He joined Swiss-based Sauber at the start of the year with a clause in his contract that allowed him to move if a higher-ranked team became interested in his services.
He has scored 13 points for Sauber this year, with a best finish of fourth place in the Canadian Grand Prix in June and is 10th in the drivers' championship.
Filed by Barry McEneaney
