Fisichella dreams of a podium finish at Monza

New Ferrari driver Giancarlo Fisichella is dreaming of a podium finish in his first race for the team he has always supported, in front of an Italian crowd at Monza.

After 14 years in Formula One the Italian driver is getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari for the first time after being lured away from Force India. He joins the team as a replacement for Luca Badoer, who himself was a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa.

Badoer failed to impress in his two races, starting from the back of the grid in both, prompting Ferrari to look for alternatives before their home Grand Prix.

"It will be an incredible weekend, with lots of pressure, but it's pressure that will give me a push forward," said Fisichella, who got the opportunity after finishing second at the Belgian GP for Force India. "The goal is to obviously score a lot of points. It would be a dream to get on the podium."

Fisichella will become the first Italian to race for the Maranello team since Ivan Capelli in 1992, a fact that will further endear him to the Ferrari faithful.

Force India have reacted to the loss of their number one driver by replacing him with another Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, who last started a Grand Prix in 2007. That season he raced for Torro Rosso and amassed a total of three points. If the Force India car continues to perform as it did in Belgium then he has a chance to beat that total in one race.

Meanwhile championship leader Jenson Button is sorely in need of a victory after finishing out of the points for the first time this season at Spa. The Brawn GP driver's once seemingly unassailable position has disappeared. His lead of 34 points over teammate Rubens Barrichello has been reduced to 16 since victory in Turkey, while Red Bull rivals Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are also both 20.5 points behind with five races remaining. ·