Giancarlo Fisichella and Rubens Barrichello will return to Albert Park next week to compete in the opening round of the Australian S5000 Championship.

Giancarlo Fisichella returns to the scene of one of his most famous Formula 1 victories in two weeks time. The Italian driver is scheduled to appear at the opening round of the S5000 Championship at Albert Park, part of the Australian Grand Prix support bill. Fisichella won the F1 race at the venue back in 2005, leading a Renault 1-2 ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso.

Fisichella will also be joined on the grid by former F1 rival Rubens Barrichello, who returns for his second year appearing in the event. The Italian will be driving the S5000 car raced by Will Brown in the Sandown and The Bend Motorsport Park rounds of last season.

Having spent his post-F1 career since 2009 racing mostly in GT for Ferrari, Fisichella says he’s excited to be climbing back into a single-seater: “I am very excited about coming back to a city and a street circuit which mean so much to me.

“My Grand Prix win will stay in my heart forever as well as the warmth of the many Australian fans who come every year to Melbourne for a great motor sport spectacle.” continued Fisichella.

“It is also a full comeback to an open wheeler for me, after ten solid years of GT racing and for this I can’t wait until I am going to be behind the wheel of an S5000.”

The S5000 Australian Championship is a short six rounds throughout the year, using a spec FIA-compliant Onroak-Ligier chassis and a 5 litre normally aspirated Ford V8 producing 560bhp. The series began in 2019, and is now entering its second season.

The three-time Grand Prix winner has appeared at Albert Park since his Formula 1 days, racing a Ferrari 458 GT3 in the Australian GT Championship in 2018.

Joining Fisichella on the S5000 grid is Rubens Barrichello, who took part in the Sandown event last season and finished P2 in the feature race. He is set to race at Albert Park and at Bathurst later in the season as he takes in two events this year.

“Of course, I am thrilled to be coming back to Australia, not once but twice in 2020, to continue my open wheeler career in S5000 at the two biggest and most iconic race tracks in the country – Albert Park and Bathurst,” said Barrichello.

“Sandown provided a tremendous insight into Australia’s new high-profile motorsport category for me, and I’m sure that the events at the Australian Grand Prix and then Bathurst in November, will well and truly put S5000 on the international map.”

“The Grand Prix event will allow many, many international drivers to see – and hear – S5000, and they will then understand the attraction.” continued Barrichello.

“At Bathurst, after most international series have concluded, will bring the opportunity to drive a special car around a circuit all Australians love, which I would expect to attract drivers from all over the world. It will be an exciting end to the year for sure.”