Jordan says Giancarlo could win this year.

Fisichella, 29, has returned to the Silverstone-based team for 2002 after four years with Benetton-Renault and Jordan said at the launch of the new EJ12 car in Brussels that the Roman should challenge for victories.

Jordan have not won a race since September 1999 when German Heinz-Harald Frentzen was victorious in Italy, while Fisichella has yet to end his search for a win, but Jordan believes 2002 will represent the coming of Fisichella and said he is expecting big things of the Rome-born driver and his new team mate, Japan's Takuma Sato.

"We have two very talented drivers and I believe we will do much better this year," said Jordan, whose team struggled last year as they finished the season fifth in the manufacturers' championship.
"A lot of people have been talking down our chances because this is a late launch, but we knew we were always going to come in and do this late.
"I have a lot more optimism. A win for Giancarlo could be on the cards this year."

The team boss is obviously delighted to have the Italian back after a four year gap. "He was here when Ralf Schumacher was but now has five years experience. In terms of driver form, I believe he is in the top three in the world. We are delighted to have him racing for Jordan and we need to give him the equipment to prove himself.
“He is at the top of the drivers' league and we need to give him encouragement. Hopefully he will respond to that."

Fisichella, who has scored five second place finishes in his career, played down his own chances of success and instead chose to hail the performance of Jordan's Honda engines.
"The new engine is a good step for us, it feels much better than the old one and I feel very confident," Fisichella said. But he did admit that returning to Jordan, who he first joined in 1997 before switching to Benetton in 2000, was like a homecoming.
He said, "When I went to the team in England for the seat fitting last September I felt the same atmosphere as I knew lots of the mechanics who were still here from 1997. It felt good, like coming home."

Fisichella and Formula One debutant Sato have put the new EJ12 through a rigorous programme since the winter ban on testing was lifted in January, and Jordan is buoyed by the results.

He is optimistic that the reliability problems that blighted the team's progress over the past two years are now gone and that the good times are ready to roll again.
"I am confident that after the last two weeks of testing and the performance we have found in our last test that we can do something," Jordan said. "We did a few things with the aerodynamics and they were successful.
"We have made some big strides and with lady luck on our side and the progress we have made in the last couple of weeks I feel much more positive and confident."