Despite the frustrations, however, Fisichella is delighted to have been retained for next season - something that he maintained would be the case for much of the latter part of the campaign - and is looking forward to knuckling down with a team that has retained the camaraderie, if not the compactness, of one of his earliest F1 employers.

"'I think it's bigger [than when it was Jordan]," he admitted, "There are a few new guys, but I knew most of them from the last time I was here. It felt very much like old days sometimes.

"The good thing was the great atmosphere in the team. Even in those conditions, the guys were really professional, they were always pushing, and that was good. It was a positive season on that side, maybe because there was less pressure and I had a friendship with everybody. Vijay is a nice guy, he loves the sport, and he's done a fantastic job. For India it's a great opportunity to be in F1, so they must say thank you to him. I'm sure he's doing quite a lot for India and for us. It is good to have someone who is a positive influence on the team."