Mallya scotches Fisichella’s Ferrari ‘rumours’

New Delhi: Force India chairman Vijay Mallya on Saturday dismissed reports that his team’s Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella is all set to join Ferrari as a replacement for Luca Badoer.

“Everybody here is asking me the same question,” Mallya told reporters from Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium where Fisichella pulled off the shock of the season by clinching the pole position for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. “It’s nothing but a media speculation. Neither Ferrari approached me, not Giancarlo told me anything about such a thing. I cannot comment on a media speculation,” he added. Formula One paddock, however, is abuzz with claims that the 36-year-old Italian might replace Badoer, himself a replacement for Felipe Mass, who is out of action since his near-fatal crash in Hungary.Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Fisichella had admitted that he would love to race for Ferrari, something every Italian drivers considers a dream. F1 legend Michael Schumacher was set to come out of his retirement to replace Massa before neck injuries botched his comeback and Badoer was named as replacement. The Italian youngster, however, has been clearly struggling since then and Fisichella was touted as his possible replacement. Bureau Report