Giancarlo Fisichella, the man who stood the Formula One world on its ear at Spa over the weekend by taking pole position in the Belgian Grand Prix for Force India and then finishing a fighting second in the wheeltracks of the winner Kimi Raikkonen, will learn within the next couple of days whether he will partner the Finn in the Ferrari team at Monza next week.
The famed Italian team are unlikely to use Luca Badoer on their home track after another feeble performance in finishing last in Belgium, but they also want to wait for the result of a medical examination of Felipe Massa, the Brazilian team regular who was injured at the Hungarian GP meeting in late July.
Massa is currently in Miami, undergoing tests, one of which he told his engineer Rob Smedley last Saturday "was 100 per cent better than they expected".
Ferrari's team principal, Stefano Domenicali, said: "With regard to what we are going to do for the next races, we will tell you in the next three days.
"We will use all our consideration following the medical check that Felipe will do tomorrow, and then we will put on the table all the different things that are correct and have been considered and then we will make a decision."
Domenicali has ruled out reports of Renault's Fernando Alonso - long believed to be a Ferrari driver from 2010 - making an early switch, and all the indications are that Fisichella will get the drive.
But the Italian veteran said: "So far, I'm just concentrating for the next race with Force India unless they [Ferrari] are going to call me, but even if they do call me, there are many things to think about, so we will see."
That sounded like prevarication, given that earlier this year Fisichella's avowed aim was to become Ferrari's test driver for 2010.
- THE INDEPENDENT
Motorsport: Fisichella looks set for Ferrari seat at Monza
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