The Italian Grand Prix at Monza did not bring Giancarlo Fisichella any more points. But, despite a dismal start to his home race, the Jordan driver had a trouble-free event and crossed the finish line in 10th place. That, and a few goals scored in a footbal game, brought a smile to his face. Read all of Fisichella's thoughts here, through his visor...

Just after I finished my last column for Atlas F1 I had a fantastic time at the Charity Football match and, once again our Grand Prix Drivers' Team won 4-2. Before you ask who were the goal scorers, I am delighted to report that I scored all four goals! Hey if only I could find the same success with my Jordan Ford team.

OK, So we didn't manage to win any points at Monza. But when you consider the last minute drama that struck my EJ13 just as I was about to leave the grid on the formation lap, I was fortunate to have made the start. The team did a fantastic job in the circumstances - sorting out the electrical fault with the gearbox and then fuel my EJ13 to fit in with the hastily revised race strategy just in time for me to chase after the field - last. Therefore to finish in 10th place after such a difficult start was not such a bad result after all.

At Monza, my teammate Ralph (Firman) was replaced by Zsolt Baumgartner for the second race in succession, sensibly accepting Professor Sid Watkins (FIA Medical Delegate) advice. At least he was able to carry out our test programme at Silverstone the following week and join me as teammate for the last two races.

At least now we have something positive to build on for the remaining two Grands Prix of the season. One thing is for sure, we are ready to maximise any opportunity - however small or seemingly insignificant that comes our way at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Suzuka. It is hard to believe that I have only two Grands Prix remaining with Jordan. They have been really fantastic during my Grand Prix career and more than anything else I shall be doing everything in my power to win them some more points before our last race at Suzuka next month.

For sure it is a fantastic feeling to have just raced at Monza, one of the fastest and greatest Grand Prix circuits on the Formula One calendar and then two weeks later to be racing here in America at the fantastic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is a venue I really like - the only downside to travelling to America from Europe is the jet lag - but that is the same for all of us so we just have to make sure we are fit and give ourselves sufficient time to adjust to the time changes.

As any of you who have travelled to watch us race at the US Grand Prix will know, the sheer scale of those banked stands at the Speedway is 'truly awesome!' - as my American friends would say. And, with Michael (Schumacher), Juan Pablo (Montoya) and Kimi (Raikkonen) all with a chance of winning the World Championship in these last two races, it should be a thrilling end to a very tough season. I would certainly like to be up there with those guys fighting at the front, but who knows, things change fast in Formula One and you can be sure all of us at Jordan Ford are ready to seize the second any opportunity comes our way. It has always been my dream to take the top step of the podium at Monza but I will probably have to wait awhile for that particular dream to be fulfilled.

However for the moment, a finish would be a more realistic dream. It is a fantastic experience for me to race in Italy, especially at Monza, my home Grand Prix and home of the tifosi - who are everywhere, even high up in the trees and some in tree houses! Fantastic. You have to admire their efforts with their home-made stands, they seem to get bigger and more ingenious each year. The buzz of excitement and anticipation filled the air as soon as we arrived on Thursday, not least because the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships are still wide open.

Imagine the disappointment and frustration I felt on Friday when I decided to set my flying qualifying lap in the T-car which was faster than my race car. It was therefore even more disappointing and frustrating for me when I found I was three and a half seconds off the pace, especially as so many of my friends and fans travel to Monza to support me. After the first qualifying session my time of 1:24.179 put me in 16th place. All I could do was to hope that the team could sort out my race car for Saturday. Which they did.

The team had done a great job to find a better balance on my race car, so when I went out on Saturday I started to work on what would be the best set-up for the race. Even so I was only 16th in the first practice session with a best lap of 1:25.194 and 17th in the second session with my best lap being 1:24.627. I was feeling much happier after completing 30 trouble-free laps during the first two practice sessions and so I was reasonably satisfied with my time of 1:23.270 during the warm-up session - placing me in 11th position. With the set-up on my EJ13 I found it best to keep it as clean and smooth without riding the kerbs otherwise for sure the car would have launched me into the stands.

So I kept it smooth and clean and pushed hard in final qualifying. It felt good, it was a clean lap without any mistakes and I was pleased to get in the 1:22s with a 1:22.992 which put me in 13th place. From this grid position, as long as I had reliability I felt that there was a real opportunity of scoring some more points.

Momentarily that feeling evaporated when I discovered a gear change problem as I was about to start the formation lap. So instead of taking up my grid slot for the start of the Italian Grand Prix I started last after I had to pit to enable the team to sort out the problem. When I joined the race the car was quite difficult to handle as it had been fuelled up to allow me to make just one scheduled pit stop. As the fuel load lightened my Jordan became easier to handle, I pushed hard throughout the race, managing to climb up to 10th place. With Zsolt (Baumgartner) finishing behind me in 11th place, it was good to see two Jordan Fords take the chequered flag once again.

Now we had found reliability again we just need some more power and a good set-up to maximise the challenge of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Like Monza, the Speedway is hard on engines, brakes and tyres, therefore with the Ford Cosworth running reliably, the brakes holding up to the heavy demands of Monza and the Bridgestone tyres also giving reasonable grip I am hoping our reliability record will hold. Who knows I may be able to match my seventh place in last year's US Grand Prix, which would earn the team two vital points.

There is a great atmosphere at the Speedway and besides the army of Ferrari fans, Jordan's supporters always appear in large numbers for this race. The circuit is one of the most challenging when it comes to finding a good set-up. We usually run with low downforce levels in order to find maximum speed through the banked final corner that combines with the main straight. The downside of this means that we are left with very low grip levels around the twisty infield section - a real challenge to all of us and yet another tough race.

This year has certainly been a very tough season for us here at Jordan Ford - except for our fantastic win in Brazil. But hey - we made it to the finish at Monza, OK we were out of the points but if our reliability holds and we have a good race strategy we may be able to pick up one or two points and give the team at Ford's headquarters something to celebrate. Ferrari, Williams and McLaren may be battling for the World Championship themselves but here at Jordan we will be fighting just as hard as we can for World Championship points. One thing is for sure - it will be a thrilling end to the season.

Ciao a tutti!

Giancarlo Fisichella's column is written exclusively for Atlas F1 by Fisichella himself, with the assistance of friend and freelance journalist Georgie Shaw.
Fisichella's official website can be found at http://www.giancarlofisichella.it.