{"id":54057,"date":"2017-06-22T15:15:30","date_gmt":"2017-06-22T14:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/issue_content\/lunch-with-jean-alesi\/"},"modified":"2021-06-09T17:20:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-09T16:20:11","slug":"lunch-jean-alesi","status":"publish","type":"issue_content","link":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/archive\/article\/january-2017\/72\/lunch-jean-alesi\/","title":{"rendered":"Lunch with… Jean Alesi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By a strange quirk of history Jean Alesi\u2019s CV includes just a single Grand Prix victory, achieved at Montr\u00e9al in 1995. The charismatic Frenchman\u2019s impact on the sport was so much greater than his record suggests, but year after year circumstances seemed to rob him of potential wins. And then there was the time he followed his heart and chose a future with Ferrari rather than Williams \u2013 and thus walked away from the car that would dominate F1 for the next few seasons.<\/p>\n

At 52 Alesi remains fit and trim, but he insists that after a disappointing final fling at the 2012 Indianapolis 500, he is now retired from racing. Instead his focus has moved to guiding the career of 17-year-old son Giuliano, who competed in the 2016 GP3 Series and is a member of the Ferrari Young Driver Academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy it very much, but I\u2019m always scared,\u201d says the proud father. \u201cWith my character, I\u2019m very emotional, and to follow it from outside is difficult. But he\u2019s doing a good job, he\u2019s out of the house, he\u2019s living in Maranello \u2013 in the Enzo Ferrari house at the track, actually. And he\u2019s learning his job.\u201d<\/p>\n

We meet at the Malaysian GP, where Giuliano is contesting the GP3 support race, and our venue of choice is the Pirelli hospitality building. Until recently Alesi served as an ambassador for the tyre company, and he\u2019s still a welcome visitor at one of F1\u2019s Italian-flavoured boltholes. At the chef\u2019s suggestion, lunch for both of us is a simple dish of steak and potatoes, which Jean accompanies with a glass of sparkling mineral water. It\u2019s an appropriate place to discuss the Alesi family\u2019s Sicilian roots \u2013 and what took them to France.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was doing carrosserie<\/i>,\u201d Jean says. \u201cIt was very limited in Sicily, because there was nothing really happening there. He didn\u2019t want to move to northern Italy, because when you\u2019re from the south they treat you like you\u2019re from Africa! He moved to Avignon as there was a small community of Sicilians, and by the way that is the reason he married my mother \u2013 she is from a Sicilian family, same story basically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \"1987SuttonFrenchF3Champion0125my02\"\n
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Alesi won his first title \u2013 French F3 \u2013 back in 1987<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\/Sutton\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

Growing up, did he feel more French or Italian? \u201cI never thought about that, except the fact that France was very nationalistic. I was named Giovanni Alesi, and when I went to school I stated to have some light criticism from my colleagues. So when I was seven we decided to change from Giovanni to Jean, and my brother from Giuseppe to Jos\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has always been supportive of me in everything since I was born. When I was young and going to school I asked him to carry my bag, and he ended up carrying my bag with me on his shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, to be as successful as my father has been, it means a lot of sacrifice and work. He was working day and night in the garage, and my mother was helping him with all the paperwork. When we finished school my mother was picking us up, and then back to the garage. At the time we did out homework there! So I was really loving cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the weekends my father was sometimes doing rallies and hillclimbs. He started with a Vespa 400, a very small car, and then he finished in \u201973 with a Chevrolet Camaro. When he was not able to race some weekends he would give his car to his friend, Jean Ragnotti, who is from Avignon as well. But most of the time it came back destroyed. I cried when I saw Ragnotti coming to our home, \u2018Please don\u2019t give the car to him, he will destroy it!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI was following the big events like the start of Le Mans, because in France it was very popular. And then F1, I remember this moment very well \u2013 we had a conversation at home and my father said, \u2018We have a crazy driver now at Ferrari, he\u2019s unbelievable, the way he drives.\u2019 It was Gilles Villeneuve. And then I started to watch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 16 when I started karting, very late. For me it was a way to start playing, not really serious racing. We decided to do a category called Classe Bleue, it was very cheap, the same Continental tyres for the whole season. The races were on supermarket car parks. Maybe that was the reason why I was not very interested in set-up. I was not changing anything on my kart, but the shape of the track was changing all the time when someone hit the barrier, so we just had to adapt our driving style to the track!\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1983, aged 18, Alesi embarked on a season in the French Renault 5 Turbo series, and after a low-key start he won a race at Nogaro in September. The next step was single-seaters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did the Winfield School in Paul Ricard, trying to win a budget. That was really the beginning of my life. The regulation was that the top five drivers had five laps to prepare the car, and five timed laps. In the five timed laps, if you spin, you\u2019re out. I was the one before last, and the last one was Eric Bernard. I was fastest of the first four. Bernard did first lap, second lap, third lap and spun. Then he restarted, and he set a faster lap than me.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally I was supposed to have the Elf drive, but the jury said, \u2018No, no, we have to change it. Eric Bernard and Jean Alesi do it again.\u2019 When you\u2019re young like that, you\u2019re not really prepared. In my mind I was already winning. We went, both of us, back on track. And he was faster than me, so they gave the Volant Elf to him.<\/p>\n

\n \"1988SuttonDijonF3000m0125my05\"\n
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Maiden F3000 season in 1988 blended promise with frustration<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\/Sutton\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was an embarrassing moment, because my father started to be very upset with the people there. At the time the big boss of Elf, Fran\u00e7ois Guiter, was like a king in France. My father said to Guiter, \u2018It\u2019s a French mafia\u2019 and Guiter replied, \u2018The mafia is in Sicily!\u2019 And I said, \u2018Oh no…\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the car my father said, \u2018Jean, if you want to continue in this business, I want you to be better than them \u2013 always. Do what you want, but you have to be at the top. Because if you\u2019re not, we stop.\u2019 So we bought a Formula Renault, and we ran it from our garage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alesi spent 1984 and \u201985 in the category, and in his second year he logged five podium finishes and finished fifth in the championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first two seasons were difficult for me. But I\u2019m sure at the time they were cheating with the engines, because we had turbos. It was a bit weird. So then we said, \u2018Let\u2019s move to F3, but let\u2019s do it differently.\u2019 Everybody had a Martini, or a Ralt. We decided to get a Dallara. It was me and one guy from the garage, who I was taking only for the weekend. I was driving the truck with our caravan behind. And I did the first season like that. I won two races, at Albi and Le Mans, and at the end of the season, I was second.\u201d<\/p>\n

That year Alesi changed his helmet design in honour of Elio de Angelis, who lost his life in a testing accident at Paul Ricard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he had the accident, I was in Pau. When you are on a racetrack, and you have the news that a driver is hurt, it goes even more in your heart. You know when there is a war, and the flag goes down, and there\u2019s somebody else who picks the flag up? For me his helmet was a kind of flag. I take your flag and I put it on. I changed it a little bit, so as not to have it 100 per cent like him, but the spirit of the helmet was based on his.\u201d<\/p>\n

For 1987 Alesi earned support from Marlboro, which meant joining the ORECA team. He wasn\u2019t happy with the Martini chassis, and had to persuade team boss Hugues de Chaunac to dump it and take the Dallara he\u2019d used the previous year. Once armed with his familiar old car, Jean was the dominant force. As French F3 champion he was then invited to a crucial Marlboro F3000 test day at Donington, where 1988 drives with Onyx and ORECA were up for grabs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had 30 laps each, and one set of new tyres, whenever we wanted. I was not speaking English at the time. Big problem, because the first one-to-one was with James Hunt, and then with Ron Dennis! I tried to speak, to explain my story, but it was not easy. Then I moved to the car, and I did the best lap time of the day. And I had the Marlboro budget to do F3000 the following year with de Chaunac.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was not good, except Pau, where I managed to finish second. We faced some technical issues, we changed from March to Reynard. Then we had an argument with de Chaunac, and he said, \u2018I cannot take you for next year, you have to find another seat.\u2019 I was really finished. So I said to my brother, \u2018Do you think we can do Macau? If it goes well, we\u2019ll find something\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alesi was set for aggregate victory in the street race when it all went wrong in the second heat: \u201cOn the last lap I had a tyre explode on the straight, and I finished on three wheels. Eddie Jordan came to my brother, and he said, \u2018I like that, because he\u2019s not giving up. What\u2019s he doing next year?\u2019 And Jos\u00e9 said, \u2018Nothing, we are looking for something,\u2019 And Eddie said, \u2018Let\u2019s see what we can do.\u2019 I went to England, we did a deal and my life changed…\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \"1989TyrrellLAT\"\n
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Creating a sensation at Tyrrell in 1989<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

At the time Jordan was just starting to put the pieces of an F1 project together. In the interim his focus was on his own Camel-backed F3000 team, while also helping an endless stream of ambitious youngsters who were happy to benefit from his entrepreneurial skills, albeit at a price.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many stories about him, but mine is different from what I hear sometimes. He was not looking for money, he was looking for success. And he was really looking after me like a son. I lived in a very small room in his house, even though he had small kids at the time, and he made me feel at home. Every morning I went to the office with him, trying to improve my English with the mechanics. And he understood that I was a real fighter. I never treated him as a manager, I treated him as a father. I had full trust in him. I never asked, \u2018How much?\u2019 I just asked him for a good drive, and for him to take me to F1.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first four F3000 races of 1989 included a victory at Pau. Then in July an F1 seat opened at Tyrrell, when the team attracted Camel support and long-time Marlboro man Michele Alboreto opted out. Jordan was quick to pounce, agreeing a one-race deal with Ken Tyrrell for Jean to do the French GP. Also making their F1 debuts that weekend were Alesi\u2019s F3000 team-mate Martin Donnelly \u2013 and long-time rival Eric Bernard.<\/p>\n

\u201cKen had to make a presentation for Camel. My old friend Fran\u00e7ois Guiter, who was very close to Ken, went to him and said, \u2018I\u2019m happy you took a French driver, but you didn\u2019t take the right one.\u2019 Ken didn\u2019t argue. On Friday I was seventh in the first qualifying session. Everybody was happy, especially me! Ken went to Guiter and he said, \u2018When you have a better one than him, call me…\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

After a frustrating Saturday qualifying session (\u201cMaybe because I was overexcited\u201d) Alesi started only 16th, but he went on to finish an astonishing fourth, having run as high as second for a few laps. Within days he had signed a Tyrrell contract extending into 1990, with options for \u201991 and \u201992. He had to miss the Belgian and Portuguese GPs as Jordan insisted that F3000 take priority, and he duly won the title. And thanks to a fifth place in Italy and fourth in Spain, he finished ninth in the world championship, having started just eight of the 16 rounds. This sensational opening to his F1 career had not gone unnoticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the winter of 1989-90, Frank Williams decided to take me for 1991, \u201992 and \u201993. They signed a contract with Eddie. And inside there was a paragraph underlining that the deal would be announced at the French GP. If it wasn\u2019t done there, then the contract would become an option until the end of September.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he read it my lawyer said, \u2018Take it out.\u2019 I called Frank and he said, \u2018I cannot do it differently, because I didn\u2019t say anything to Renault, and it\u2019s Renault who pays the drivers. I need to keep that because the announcement is going to be made in Paul Ricard, 100 per cent. From now to July I have enough time to convince them to take you. So that is just lawyer\u2019s talk.\u2019 My lawyer said, \u2018Do you trust him?\u2019 I said, \u2018I have to, he\u2019s Frank Williams.\u2019 So I signed, and gave it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Jean remained a Tyrrell driver for 1990, and hopes were high. The team switched from Goodyear to Pirelli just before the season opener in Phoenix \u2013 with no time for testing. \u201cI didn\u2019t qualify well because of my inexperience \u2013 I touched the wall twice \u2013 so I was not precise. But I was quite confident for the race. I started fourth and had a very good first lap. Fourth, third, second and then I led. My thought was, \u2018I hope my friends in Avignon are watching the race!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSuddenly I started to see some red coming in the mirrors, and I understood it was Ayrton, because I had the pit board. Then he caught me, and I thought. \u2018Let\u2019s give him a hard time.\u2019 I was not weaving, but I was pushing to make it difficult to overtake. I had such a good time…\u201d<\/p>\n

Senna eventually passed Alesi, who then had the cheek to nip back by at the next corner, before bowing to the inevitable on the following lap. He still finished second, and by now everyone was paying attention.<\/p>\n

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He enjoyed the family ambience at Sauber for two seasons<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

\u201cAfter Imola, and before Monaco, Cesare Fiorio asked me to come to Maranello. I was with my brother, and on the way I said to Jos\u00e9, \u2018If he asks me to go to Ferrari, what do I do?\u2019 He said, \u2018Nothing, you cannot do it.\u2019 And Fiorio said, \u2018We want to have you for 1991, \u201992 and \u201993.\u2019 I said, \u2018Mr Fiorio, I\u2019m sorry I have a contract already.\u2019 He said, \u2018With Tyrrell?\u2019 I said, \u2018No, with another top team, I cannot say.\u2019 He started to get upset, and he said to me, \u2018You cannot say no to Ferrari.\u2019 I said, \u2018It\u2019s not that I cannot say no, but it\u2019s not possible\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferrari\u2019s interest was stoked further when Alesi logged another excellent second place, in Monaco. \u201cAfter Phoenix Frank had said, \u2018It\u2019s fantastic, exciting,\u2019 and so on. Then Monaco, the same. That was in May, and I said to Frank, \u2018Is it all OK?\u2019 and he said, \u2018Yeah, yeah.\u2019 The week before Paul Ricard I called Frank, and he said, \u2018We have to set it for Friday or Saturday\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the start of the French GP weekend, Alesi was roped in to a Marlboro event as a last-minute replacement for Alain Prost. \u201cFiorio was there, and he said \u2018Frank will not make the announcement this weekend. You\u2019ve signed with him, but he\u2019s looking for Senna.\u2019 So I went back to Frank, told him what happened to\u00a0me a few minutes before and he said Fiorio\u00a0was a bullshitter!<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time I was very close to Nelson Piquet, and I told him, \u2018I have a secret to tell you about what\u2019s happened to me.\u2019 I explained. He said, \u2018Jean you\u2019re an idiot!\u2019 \u2018Okay, what can I do now?\u2019 He said, \u2018Go to Ferrari and tell them to make a proposition, and you take it to Frank and show him. If he doesn\u2019t sign you immediately, go to Ferrari.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSilverstone was next and I went to the hotel of Ferrari president Piero Fusaro. I said, \u2018Mr Fusaro, I have a contract with Williams. I cannot accept your offer the way things stand right now.\u2019 I said I wanted to drive for him, so he made me a proposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to Frank and showed him the Ferrari proposition. When he saw \u2018Ferrari\u2019 he went completely mad. \u2018How can you sign, they\u2019re bullshitting, they\u2019re trying to f**k you up!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Look Frank, you sign me, and that is it, finished.\u2019 He said, \u2018No, you have a contract until September\u2026\u2019 I said, \u2018I will not wait. Confirm now \u2013 or not at all.\u2019 In September it would have been possible for him to say, \u2018We don\u2019t want you.\u2019 And where would I go? So I went back to Benetton to see Nelson.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went mad. \u2018September! You show me the offer of Ferrari.\u2019 He took it, said, \u2018The price is not good\u2019 and added one million more. He also inserted an F40 road car and a fixed three-year deal. So I changed everything. I went to Fusaro, and gave him the new contract. He said, \u2018For a young driver, you are really prepared.\u2019 It was Nelson who did everything! Anyway, you know the end of the story. I moved to Ferrari, Frank had Prost\u2019s F1 car as compensation, plus some money. I had my F40 and a good contract, but my intention had been to go to Williams\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ferrari new recruit, 1991<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

In the end Frank signed Nigel Mansell \u2013 the man Alesi replaced at Ferrari.<\/p>\n

At this point in our conversation the Pirelli hospitality building is filling up with hungry technicians and tyre fitters, and our table is required. At Jean\u2019s suggestion we take a break and move along the Sepang paddock, with appropriate timing, to Ferrari.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a terrible 1990 season, because every race I was in Frank\u2019s motorhome, Ferrari\u2019s motorhome… It was not nice. When it finally happened, I was of course extremely happy. I was just back to what I wanted, to be a driver. My team-mate was Alain, and that was also very interesting because of the way he fought with Senna, and I wanted to learn as much as possible from him. I was very happy to be with him, and I was in a team where I was testing non-stop, and I had freedom to do what I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

He very nearly won the 1991 Belgian GP, only to suffer a late engine failure while running ahead of Senna\u2019s ailing McLaren.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a very fragile car, and technically there was an internal fight about whether we should work on active suspension. In the end everything collapsed! It was a shame, because for me Fiorio was very capable. He had a racing spirit, he had a racing view, and for the time he was definitely a super team boss. But Alain did not always get on with him\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Prost was sacked before the last race of the year. Then towards the end of a difficult \u201992 season alongside Ivan Capelli and Nicola Larini, Alesi learned that he was to be partnered by Gerhard Berger in \u201993.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was testing in Estoril, and in the newspaper it was, \u2018Gerhard back to Ferrari, number one driver, leading the development of the car, blah, blah.\u2019 The testing was starting at 9am, and at 9.15am I was on the phone to Niki Lauda [then a Maranello advisor]. I said, \u2018Niki, what kind of respect do you have for me? Why do I need to be number two, and Gerhard is coming from McLaren, where he has always been behind Ayrton?\u2019<\/p>\n

\n \"1989LATLM13\"\n
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First of two Le Mans appearances, Here in 1989<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018Let me speak with Luca di Montezemolo, and we\u2019ll call you back.\u2019 Then Montezemolo called, and said, \u2018Look Jean, it\u2019s not like you read, everything will be as usual in the team, and if you are upset, I\u2019ll give you an F1 car.\u2019 I said, \u2018I\u2019m not upset, I\u2019m disappointed.\u2019 \u2018Don\u2019t be disappointed, you\u2019ll have the car, now shut up and go and drive!\u2019 So I have a \u201992 F1 car at my house…\u201d<\/p>\n

In the middle of that 1993 season Jean Todt arrived at Ferrari: \u201cI was a bit scared, because Jean had a very tough reputation. Not tough in a bad way, but a disciplined guy. It was always \u2018Mr Todt\u2019, never \u2018Jean\u2019. He was everywhere at first \u2013 here, there, in the garage, very efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first signs of a turnaround came when Berger won at Hockenheim in 1994. That year Alesi took pole at Monza, but a first GP win continued to escape him. Meanwhile he had to watch first Mansell and then Prost win world championships for Williams, while Damon Hill became a title contender. He logged 13 podiums over four and bit seasons at Ferrari before luck finally went his way at the 1995 Canadian GP.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a big day because I\u2019d had retirements when leading Grands Prix, but at last everything held together. And it was my birthday, so it was unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alesi\u2019s relationship with Todt began to unravel when it became clear that Michael Schumacher was leaving Benetton to join Ferrari in 1995, and he would have to make way. In the end, they swapped seats.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlavio Briatore made me aware of the Michael situation. When I asked the team what was going on, they never said it was happening. It was the right choice to have Michael, but they could have told me. Flavio said, \u2018If he leaves, please look at us.\u2019 I thought, \u2018Why not?\u2019 Everything moved after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Monaco 1997, prior to a race-ending spin<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

What Alesi didn\u2019t expect was that, wary of partnering Schumacher, Berger would jump ship and join him at Benetton: \u201cIn the end we respected each other very well, he was doing his job and I was doing mine. Really, I appreciate him a lot. We spent five years together and I scored 40 points more than him…\u201d<\/p>\n

The two Benetton seasons were frustrating \u2013 Jean logged 13 podium finishes and took pole at Monza in \u201997, but once again a few potential wins slipped away. By the end of that year he had fallen out with Briatore and decided to move on for \u201998.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I went to Stewart. I spoke with Paul and Jackie, but they said, \u2018We\u2019re sorry, but we\u2019re not prepared for you.\u2019 It was just a small team. So then I went to Peter Sauber, and I said, \u2018Please give me a car and I will do my best.\u2019 He was surprised, but I wanted to have a challenge. I had a super time. Like Tyrrell, you know? Very good atmosphere, no politics, and I really felt at home. I had a different target, and anyway I put the car on the podium in Spa, plus I scored some very good points.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 1999 season was less satisfactory, and for 2000 Alesi was tempted away by the prospect of racing for his first Ferrari team-mate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to finish my career with Alain, and give France a successful team \u2013 like Ligier had been. When I signed I was extremely happy and excited, but with Peugeot engines there was no chance. That was disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \"2012LATIndyIN1_5475\"\n
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Indy 500 adventure proved a major letdown in 2012<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

In a disastrous first season he failed to score a point, although he managed to qualify seventh in Monaco. The following year got off to a better start on track, with Ferrari power, but the team was falling apart and Alesi left after the 2001 German GP. He then agreed to do the last five races of 2001 for his old pal Eddie Jordan, who had sacked Heinz-Harald Frentzen: \u201cThat was good, especially the race at Spa, when I finished sixth and had a very good fight with Ralf Schumacher in the last laps. It was not a bad car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alesi knew there was no Jordan seat for 2002 \u2013 Honda prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Takuma Sato was coming in \u2013 and just before the Suzuka finale he made a spontaneous decision to retire.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at a Bridgestone press conference in Tokyo when a Japanese journalist asked, \u2018If Sato is driving for Jordan next year, what will you do?\u2019 I didn\u2019t like the way he asked me that. So I said, \u2018I will stop.\u2019 Michael and Rubens were next to me, and they looked across and said, \u2018Really?\u2019 I said, \u2018If Sato is taking my drive, it means it\u2019s better to stop.\u2019 And I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

That last race ended early when a spinning Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen took Alesi into the barriers. I happened to be with him as he left the paddock gates after the flag. He gave a mock celebratory jump, saying \u201cI\u2019m free!\u201d – and handed me his season pass. It\u2019s a treasured piece of memorabilia.<\/p>\n

Jean says that he had no future plans, but one soon emerged.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Suzuka Norbert Haug from Mercedes said \u2018Please consider the DTM. It\u2019s good, you will have fun, it\u2019s for you.\u2019 So I went to have a look and drove the car. It was very enjoyable, and I accepted the proposition. I raced five years for them, and I had a good time. They treated me very well, and I had a super contact with the German fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had a bonus early in his first season when Haug invited him to do some engine testing with McLaren.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fantastic. I did five days and felt important again. I drove the old car at Paul Ricard, and then in Mugello they asked me to drive the new car. Adrian [Newey] had some new ideas, and it was not quick. As long as I was there to explain the driveability of the engine, it was okay. But when I started to say the chassis was bending, they said, \u2018Thank you, bye-bye!\u2019 I was upset. I said to Ron Dennis, \u2018You asked me to tell you what\u2019s happening. I am saying it to you, not to the press\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \"2013LATGdWdRevAlesiDSC_5363\"\n
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Back with Ferrari, now at Goodwood in 2013<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

He would win five DTM races, but life wasn\u2019t always straightforward: \u201cMercedes had this very tough way to speak to the drivers. They had drivers like a football team \u2013 goalkeeper, defender and striker. And when they started to speak to me like that, I was looking at them, \u2018Are you nuts? I do my race. I race for Mercedes, but I\u2019m not here to block Audi drivers. No way!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

After being shifted from HWA to the second division Persson team for 2006 \u2013 where he had to make do with a year-old car \u2013 he decided that five years was enough. In 2008-09 he appeared with other ex-F1 drivers in the Speedcar series, supporting some flyaway GPs, before the organisation folded. Then in 2010 he raced a Ferrari F430 GT with Giancarlo Fisichella, and returned to Le Mans for the first time since 1989. He didn\u2019t enjoy the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love to drive, but I didn\u2019t want to be mixed with gentleman drivers and I didn\u2019t want to be mixed with young drivers, because it doesn\u2019t match. I would be very happy or keen to have a \u2018legends\u2019 race with Gerhard, David Coulthard, Johnny Herbert. I don\u2019t want to be with dentists or lawyers. When I went to the driver briefing in Le Mans, I thought I was in a party! Guys in overalls with big stomachs\u2026 I realised how difficult the race would be, because you\u2019d see cars and wouldn\u2019t know if it\u2019s a professional or a wanker driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alesi\u2019s last on-track adventure was that 2012 Indianapolis 500, a legacy of his role as an ambassador for Lotus. Unfortunately the engine that the Norfolk marque had badged was hopeless: \u201cIt was almost impossible to keep the car in the power band and the car felt absolutely dead. It was so sad for me…\u201d<\/p>\n

After qualifying 33rd Alesi ran for just a few laps in the race before he was forced to park due to a simple lack of pace. He then called time on his career to focus on helping Giuliano.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Since then he has kept himself busy by conducting interviews with key F1 figures for Canal Plus, while as a hobby he owns a vineyard in Avignon and, along with Sylvester Stallone, he\u2019s a shareholder in the upmarket Montegrappa pen company. He also keeps an eye on the family bodywork business.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father is still there. He is 76, but he is very busy, because we now have more than 70 people working in the carrosserie. It\u2019s his baby, and my brother is looking after the financial side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for his career, he says even with the benefit of hindsight he wouldn\u2019t have done anything differently \u2013 including that decision to go to Ferrari.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have absolutely no regrets, honestly.\u00a0The Williams story is part of my life.\u00a0You cannot look back. It\u2019s like if you had an offer to buy a 250GTO 25 years ago for $10,000, and now it costs $35m. If it didn\u2019t happen, it\u2019s destiny. But the way everything happened is not what I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

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