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[McLaren Fan]

I was on You Tube this evening watching some videos of Jean Alesi. The videos reminded me of what a great driver he was. Sadly, his potential went unfilled as he was more interested in rallying early in his racing career and spent his best years at Ferrari when they were awful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg3WCsDK ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEZEFZAr ... re=related (sorry, Ayrton, but I've got to post it )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLFTqF9UZ84 (God, I love the Ferrari 412 T2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrvB9yqT ... re=related

[madbrad]

he was always one of my faves. Last of the late brakers. Better at many aspects of driving than a lot of champions. Better than MS at some things.

[onelapdown]

Alesi is the very definition of a legend. I was never too keen on him to begin with (I started watching F1 in 1994) but when I was at Silverstone in 2001 one of the practice sessions was wet and I saw what all the fuss was about. His car was simply SINGING! It's probably my all-time best memory in motorsport watching him drive that day, and when he retired at the end of that season I was quite sad that I hadn't fully appreciated him more when I had the chance. I was at Donington for a DTM race the following year where it was wet again and Alesi won both the qualifying race and feature race. He was so happy to win and that sums up the two things I'll always remember about Alesi: out-of-this-world car control and an all-consuming passion for racing. Top man

[scotty]

Haha, i half guessed that clip of Alesi at Adelaide would be here - words simply cannot describe how incredible that V12 sounds. Best sounding engine ever... unless someone has a better clip

I'm glad he at least won one race, and he could've definately won more if it were not for fate intervening.

It seems all the 'hardcore' F1 fans i've known appreciate Jean too - justifiably so!!

[texasmr2]

I saw a quick glimpse of Alesi in the Ferrari pit's for today's practice, it brought back to me many happy memorie's of him, he was a true sportsman.

[madbrad]

That was a great performance keeping Ayrton honest and finishing 2nd in a Tyrrell. I liked Ken's smile there.
The same year in some race or other he was able to keep Prost behind him for 3rd(the McLarens were running away) at the start until the red flag(Alboreto's accident) AND in the restart, until he spun off. Nail biting stuff! He had the anhedral front wing by then. See? Tyrrell did the high nose first!
Too bad I didn't ge tinto F1 until 92.

[7UpJordan]

That was a great performance keeping Ayrton honest and finishing 2nd in a Tyrrell. I liked Ken's smile there.
The same year in some race or other he was able to keep Prost behind him for 3rd(the McLarens were running away) at the start until the red flag(Alboreto's accident) AND in the restart, until he spun off. Nail biting stuff! He had the anhedral front wing by then. See? Tyrrell did the high nose first!
Too bad I didn't ge tinto F1 until 92.

Think that was Monza 1990 when Warwick had that huge crash on the exit of the Parabolica and Alesi had jumped both Mansell and Prost at the start and was hounding Berger before the red flag came out.

[madbrad]

Yeah Warwick. I meant him.

[AKR]

French-Sicilian Jean Alesi.................................................

(Although not the crushing dominant Ferraris of nowadays, an era I love).



Jean Alesi a Monza sul podio dopo il Gran Premio di Monza



Bellisimo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alesi è avanti entrambi le McLaren!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Jean Alesi entrando nei box al Grand Premio degli USA 1991. Seconda a me, il giallo ci stava meglio che il rosso di oggi!



Più bellezze del passato da Estoril 1993.......................



Qui abbiamo nel Gran Premio di Monaco 1990, Alesi sul Tyrell-Ford dietro della Ferrari di Alain Prost e avanti della McLaren-Honda di Gerhard Berger.



Gran Premio di Silverstone 1991 con Alesi davanti il suo compagno di squadra Alain Prost.



Alesi a Spa 1993 dove nel 2008 vince da bene Massa!



Austria 1997, Incidente con Irvine(Ferrari), Alesi su Benetton vola!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[McLaren Fan]

Those are pretty nice photographs, AKR.

[7UpJordan]

Qui abbiamo nel Gran Premio di Monaco 1990, Alesi sul Tyrell-Ford dietro della Ferrari di Alain Prost e avanti della McLaren-Honda di Gerhard Berger.



Gran Premio di Silverstone 1991 con Alesi davanti il suo compagno di squadra Alain Prost.

How did that Benetton get down where the current pit exit is? If I remember rightly must have failed on the warm up lap.

The 1991 Ferrari 643 may have handled like a pig but it's quite a smooth and sleek looking thing. At the end of the day though a good looking car doesn't mean it'll handle well.

Alesi was a great driver, he could have had so much more success if he didn't go to Ferrari during his best years. I suppose the fact Ferrari came so close in 1990 was the deciding factor and not the fact Adrian Newey was starting to work his magic at Williams.

[AKR]

After coming so close to winning the title in 1990, many thought Ferrari would win it in 1991. (Don't count me in that as I was too mala (small) to know what was going on). Given this fact however Alesi thought he would do well at Ferrari, especially along side 3 time world champion Alain Prost and the very same man who just missed out for Ferrari in 1990. Sadly Alesi like many were mistaken and Ferrari took a slide backwards and even bigger backward slides in 1992 and 1993 before slowly making some improvements in 1994 and 1995. But the big changes and the road to glory wasn't to come until the arrival of the legendary Michael Schumacher in 1996 plus the switch from V12 engines to V10s in that same year.

[AKR]

Those are pretty nice photographs, AKR.

Grazie Chris.

[texasmr2]

Is it deemed inappropriate for a man to say they truelly loved a great sportsman which for me Jean is one of them?

[f1 shoemaker]

Big question was what would have happened if he had joined Williams instead of Ferrari. He might have even one a couple of championship. Cause as you know Williams was far better than Ferrari at the time. Mansell did it in 92, Prost in 93, Hill in 96 and Villenueve in 97. After that the team went down hill almost and i except in maybe another 5 years Williams may longer exist in F1.

But any way back to Alesi in 1990 he showed some real spirit for a future world champion. For example his famous trick he played on Senna at round 1 in the US. Ending the race in 2nd and Senna clearly stating in the after race press conference
With guts like that hes got talent to become a world champion!
To bad it was never to be he should have gone to Williams and then in something like 98 he shouold have joined Schumacher at Ferrari and then who knows what would have happened and he most likely got a lot more than 1 victory.