Now the 2016 Blancpain GT Series season is over, it’s time to look back at some of the highlights of the past ten races. In this top-10 series, we’ll take a look at the performances that were sometimes not that obvious, but played a crucial part in the outcome of the race. The second part of our 2016 top-10 is the final stint of Giancarlo Fisichella at Monza, which gave AF Corse a second place finish in the Pro-Am category.
It’s hard to call a 43-year-old former F1 Grand Prix winner a rookie, but that is exactly what Giancarlo Fisichella was when he arrived at Monza. ‘Fisico’ had never driven a GT3 car or in a round of the Blancpain GT Series before, but at the Italian Temple of Speed he showed immediately that he would fit in perfectly by claiming the pole in the Pro-Am category, third overall on the starting grid.
Fisichella’s team-mates on the #53 AF Corse Ferrari did the opening two stints of the Monza three-hour race and had some difficulties in defending that excellent starting position. By the time Fisichella took the wheel, 63 minutes from the end, the #53 Ferrari was one lap down on the leaders, 21st overall and seventh in class.
What followed was a world class performance. Fisichella used the first half of his stint to get up to fourth in class and although overall leaders Van Gisbergen and Buhk were in a fierce battle themselves, Fisichella managed to unlap himself and continue his run towards the front. He kept his cool to avoid a couple of incidents, climbed to third in Pro-Am and six laps from the end he conquered the position he would cross the line in: second in class and tenth overall. And he set fastest lap of the race. Not bad for a rookie.
Watch the highlights of Monza: