MAYBE FERRARI WAS THE BETTER CHOICE! A Review of Jean Alesi's Career

I've never seen anyone fight for a mid pack position like Alesi. Guy was always racing, no matter what he was in, or how bad or good the car was.
But he always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Joined Ferrari as they went backwards. Joined Benetton as they went backwards, and then saw out his career at Sauber, Prost and Jordan.
So what went wrong for someone so highly rated? Let's have a look. And see if maybe, the way it panned out was probably the best way for it to pan out.
Enjoy! And remember to like and subscribe for more!
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[@AidanMillward]

Fun extra fact. Alesi had the record for most races for Ferrari between wins. A record now held by Felipe Massa. That is until mid 2024 when Leclerc overtakes them both. Rip.

[@JSmith19858]

Between wins? He only won one race.

[@AidanMillward]

@@JSmith19858probably should read “most races without a win” It’s been one of those days.

[@hoedenbesteller]

Are you not afraid that Leclerc will become the new Alesi? I mean, he is doing his best but he has had so much misfortune at Ferrari and luck always seems to be in favour of Sainz more than Charles...

[@AidanMillward]

@@hoedenbesteller Leclerc looks like he’s got some sort of Stockholm syndrome. Needs to leave but he never will because Ferrari.

[@JSmith19858]

@@AidanMillward Aye. I'm no Ferrari fan, although if I were an F1 driver I'd rather have 1 title in a Ferrari than 2 in a Renault. He'll likely wait around until his 40s on the off chance Ferrari build a title winning car.

[@WRC-FAN]

I was at the Phoenix race, and ever since then Alesi has always been one of my favorite drivers. I, too, have always wondered what could have been if Alesi had chosen Williams over Ferrari. Also, at the Indy F1 race, which I think was in 2000, he went off during practice. He came off the track mad and dejected. My wife was standing there, and encouraged him that the race would go better. Then, after the race, he was leaving the track. Fans asked for autographs. He was not happy, but saw my wife - recognized her - and said, I'll sign one autograph, "For you!" We always remember his kindness that day.

[@txtmstrjoe]

If there ever was a spiritual successor to Gilles Villeneuve, it was Jean Alesi. Both were wickedly quick and gifted with unearthly car control, and both drove much more according to the dictates of their heart and passion more than their reason. I find it really neat that both had their most glorious years driving Ferraris that never quite lived up to their own driving talents. Both outperformed their machinery more often than not, both raced with the number 27 on their cars, and if Jean couldn't win at Monza, then winning at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in his #27 Ferrari was the universe finally smiling upon him with the ultimate birthday gift. I tend to admire the smooth, tactical, intelligent drivers most (Prost being my ultimate hero, then Clark, Stewart and Lauda after them), but Jean was a happy aberration. Utterly breathtaking (especially in the wet), Alesi was one of the exceptions I allowed. He was everything my heroes weren't, but I loved him anyway, and loved him hard. It broke my heart when Ferrari chose Schumacher and dumped Alesi - it was one of the biggest reasons my love for Ferrari died, to be honest. Sometimes you just have to be passionate, and this is why Jean Alesi will always be one of my favorites.

[@F-Man]

Jean Alesi - the most spectacular driver in living memory. He was utterly sensational to watch as he drove the wheels off the car from green to checkers on his way to a solid 9th place finish.

[@glockmat]

The Fernando Alonso Syndrome

[@project182r3]

I think you’ve had too many E numbers buddy, go easy on the superlative’s… Alesi was awesome but the most spectacular driver in living memory, please… No matter what metric you use this is a nonsense claim. Senna, Schumacher, Mansell, Alonso, Raikonnen to name just a few, were all far more spectacular.

[@leightonsteven7059]

And Gilles Villeneuve was more spectacular than all those you mentioned

[@dirtreynolds1456]

The predecessor to Alex Albon

[@F-Man]

@@project182r3And I think you’ve utterly failed to note the irony and sarcasm that’s issuing forth from every nook and cranny of my comment.

[@rosumin38]

There aren't many drivers in history that have you sit there saying "how on earth does he do that" Jean was one of those drivers. He had that Gilles style of stop and warp 9. Which was sometimes good and sometimes bad, but always spectacular. Interestingly there is a cool video series which documents all of Jean's "lost" victories. There are 11 episodes.....

[@mattsisoler6125]

Is there a link to it?

[@stevenproud6167]

@7:54 Note that Berger didn't win the 1994 Italian GP - D.Hill did. Alesi had been in the lead going into the pits, and then had a gearbox failure. Berger took over the lead, but was overtaken by Hill during the pitstops. Ferrari's single win in 1994 (their first since 1990) was the German GP at Hockenheim (where Berger won).

[@AidanMillward]

Hockenheim, Monza. Got the wrong speed demon track. I must have had 1988 on the brain after all that Singapore carnage.

[@damarfadlan9251]

I miss Jean Alesi.... such an underrated talent.

[@danesorensen1775]

I once spent an afternoon watching the highlight reels from 1995, and was blown away by what I saw Alesi doing with that Ferrari. That was a driver leaving nothing on the table, for sure, and if he'd won every race he led, he would've taken the title easily. Definitely a man with the talent.

[@DeckardWill]

Not sure if Alesi's problem was in being "too nice", or even in needing an arm round him like Frentzen. Alesi's problem was the exact trait responsible for his popularity - his RAW talent. Alesi's talent remained raw throughout his career: he was not able to deliver on it with any degree of consistency. Alesi HIMSELF often had no idea where it came from. Alesi showed flashes where I don't think anyone knew how he managed such astonishing and inexplicable turns of pace. Then quite often his car would break down, or he'd make a silly mistake. He drove seemingly on pure emotion and adrenaline. Watching his hands at the wheel, there often seemed no way in hell that car should have stayed on the track let alone at the speed he was lapping. He didn't possess the ability to understand and fully tap his potential. He didn't possess the personality to think rationally through every situation. Calling him "not bad" or "decent" is reflective of his career on paper. But watching it.... he was never either. He was either utterly brilliant or bloody infuriating, and that is why we love the guy. There won't be another like him.

[@attilatabanyi3275]

In retrospect, I feel like his temperament and his emotions brought him to high concentration level, when everything was allright, but the same things crashed down upon him, when the circumstances were not his ideal ones. Anyways it was nice to see him drive for Eddie Jordan at the end of his career, after all the help he received from EJ early on in his carreer.

[@AdavidPT]

While comfortably waiting for Roberto Moreno, I would like to suggest fellow unlucky Ricardo Patrese to be the next one.

[@creepingjesus5106]

Alesi and Berger are always the first two drivers of my lifetime that I go to, to answer the 'should've been' question. Either should've been world champion, but it was never to be. IIRC only Alesi chucked most of his race clothing into a crowd though, after a race. Maybe his final one? The memory is a little hazy after all this time! 👴

[@ibex485]

Two of my all-time favourites too, especially Berger. He was a solid best of the rest, able to grab a win or two a year in 2nd tier cars. Great driver. Alas his best years happened to overlap with Mansell, Prost, Piquet & Senna. (Then in the '90s Schumacher & Williams.) [I forget the exact numbers, but those 4 drivers raced something like 107 races together and won 92? of them. A significan proportion of the rest were won by Berger.]

[@palm92]

I rate Berger above several single champions, but drove in likely the most competitive F1 era, IMO of course.

[@ibex485]

I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't had that massive firey crash at Imola. It was a huge crash. And even though the cars of the late-'80s were in a different league to those of the first half of the decade when it came to safety (at least at the front of the grid)... I would be surprised if he wasn't affected for at least the next few years.

[@palm92]

@@ibex485 He never really had a title worthy car until 1990-1991, and unfortunately was paired with Senna, who had the team built around him.

[@terminateshere]

The fact you've reminded me of - no driver has even won more than one title for Williams, which might say something about their driver management style. Closest anyone got was Alan Jones in 1981 - and he was the mirror opposite of Alesi personality-wise - the very definition of 'straight-talking Aussie' in fact.

[@solitaryclusterofneurons598]

Agree with the first half, William's driver management at the time was pretty terrible, they had a tendency of gaslighting drivers. I can't recall the driver, but a very successful Indycar driver in the early 90s was offered a test for Williams, of course this driver took it, but was disheartened after the session after being told by Patrick Head that they had no intentions of even considering him for a drive, and just wanted to see 'just cuz' (I think it was Al Unser Jr but I can't remember). No idea how you think Alesi is anything like Alan Jones personality wise though.

[@terminateshere]

@@solitaryclusterofneurons598 I did say "mirror opposite", not "mirror image".

[@Dalesi]

Speaking of Alesi and alan jones, this post race comment from suzuka 1995 comes to mind ‘1980 Formula One World Champion Alan Jones praised Alesi's performance, saying that it "will go down as one of the great drives in Grand Prix racing". Look it up!

[@GabeDeMoraes]

Would love a video dedicated to Barrichellos career: a driver who’s commonly remembered for being in Schumis shadow and not for his amazing drives and incredible talent for setups. Button has said that Rubens was the best teammate he’d ever had and Rubens was behind many of the setups that drove Michael to victory.

[@jasonrushton5991]

Very true.

[@barrycheesemore2928]

To be honest Alesi was, as you said, a damn good driver and his performance in some ropey cars was brilliant. Sadly he did appear to lack that 'killer instinct' which may have cost him, but the reliability issues with a lot of the cars he drove were probably far more significant. Great video, I really enjoyed it.

[@ayrtonsenna1989luke]

The best way to gauge Alesi's ceiling was his year at Ferrari driving the beautiful 412 T2, V12. My favorite F1 car of all time looks and sounding. He was in contention in many races. He lead the Nurburgring with a gigantic lead mastering the slippy conditions and not pitting, but tackled the traffic poorly and Schumacher came through with the forceful move at the chicane to pass him round the outside with just 2 laps to go. John Barnard would reflect in the Autocourse 95-96 review that he cost Ferrari the race. He also had an amazing race at Suzuka where was 2nd again to Michael in slipy conditions but pitted for a jump start stop go penalty. He made his way back up the field lapping 4 seconds a lap quicker than anyone and again got up to 2nd again after a pit stop to go to slick tyres and carved his way back up again but the driveshaft broke this was due to his spin at the final corner where he spun round avoiding a car in front pushing him wide and again it was reported he likely damaged the driveshaft revving the engine high when going off. Monza that year he retired in the lead. Jean Todt again said in the Autocourse review he was furious with Alesi as they had some 1500km in testing at Monza and never had a wheel bearing failure yet they had one in the race with just a few laps to go unchallenged in the lead. Jean Todt and the team put it down to Jean riding the kerbs excessiveky which could well be the case this also caused his tv camera on the rear wing to fly off after working loose and take Berger his team mate out of the race. To conclude on 1995 when Michael drove this car with the V12 and the new V10 during the winter of 95 he mentioned that he would of won the 1995 title sooner if he had this chassis and engine. The Williams was the dominant car in 1995 but the Ferrari was defiantly the second best package above the Benetton so the fact Jean only won just the one race shows he under performed in a good car. The 1995 Ferrari team had Jean Todt, John Barnard had made a good car and since 93 they were heading in the right direction. 94 was the rebuild year, 95 would be the year they won a couple of races and 96 would be the year Jean and Gerhard would final challenge for the title. Luca di Montezemelo made some amazing remarks during the Geman GP again recorded in the Autocourse Review where he would slate Alesi in the press that he might have to hire Schumacher or Hill and that Alesi was just a spoilt child. Alesi would also slate Ferrari in the press at Estoril slating Jean Todt had a vendetta against him and gave me a poor strategy compared to Berger which mean he finished behind him. As early as Canada that year Ferrari had agreed verbally with Michael to replace Jean, Ferrari did want to keep Berger but Berger did not want to partner Michael at Ferrari. Jean was linked to replacing Irvine for 2000 at Ferrari and Michael even publicly stated he would like Jean as a team mate. I think though Jean had burned his bridges and this was never going to happen. Also look back at Monza 1994 and John Barnard would criticise Jean in that years Autocourse review of the race in the annual stating that Jean should not of put max RPM through the car in the pits in Neutral trying to find a gear in frustration and if he had the calm composure could of pulled away in 2nd from the pits. I am a huge Alesi fan and it seems honestly his fiery, Latin, emotional personality meant for sure he was speculator on track but in turn he needed to be calmer during races, see the races better how they would unfold and take better car of the cars. You even saw this when he shouted at Frank Williams at Silverstone when he gave him the ultimatum to announce him that weekend or he signs for Ferrari. I remember he lead at Spa in 1991 but had the engine failure. 1989 he had an amazing debut coming home 4th in the points for Tyrrell at Paul Ricard and got points at Suzuka too and would become F3000 champ for EJ that year too. He did well in 1990 for sure but to put things into perspective Stefano Modena also did well in his place in 1991 at street circuits, he was 2nd at Monaco too in 1991 in the Tyrrell. Jean did had have an advantage, he had a smaller engine thus they did not have to fuel it as much and the Pirelli tyres were an advantage on street circuits. Jean admitted he knew in the early phase of the race he would have an advantage and knew Senna catch and pass later in the race once they had burned off the extra fuel in the Mclaren would catch him up. Benetton didn't work due to the personality with Flavio and the fact Benetton were complacent in 1996 after having Michael and did not fully develop the car enough, Jean had many great results in 1996 and was close to being 3rd in the final points standings and racked up many podiums. Jean could of won Monza 4 times. 94, 95, and 96 and 97 too. Both 96 and 97 he was jumped at the 1 stop pit stop as Michael in the Ferrari was able to go longer in 96 and 97 DC had more fuel from the start in the Mclaren thus could take on less at the pit stop and jump him when they pitted together. To sum Jean up - He made amazing race starts jumping many drivers. Was great on slippery damp, intermediates conditions. Great car control and passing ability. His negatives were being over emotional and not seeing the developing picture in the race and outside of the cockpit. It was nice in his final races in 2001 at Jordan he got points at Spa, made some amazing passes at Indianapolis against 2 Benettons in his 200th and penultimate race. They were my final nice memories of Jean in F1. Jean said the day he left F1 was the worst day of his life. I enjoyed watching Jean race in the DTM for Merecdes starting in 2002 where he won at the Donnington Park round. It was a good series and I remember MIka Hakkinen joining too a few years later.

[@dublin4liammccarthy]

Love the Bullseye reference. Only gameshow where you could walk away with a tankard, a teasmaid, a hostess table, a train set, and a mickey mouse phone

[@shaun_sharlev]

A couple of years ago he raced at the historic monaco race and was leading and about to win until a crash with second place took him out at the final stage of the race . I was watching it live holding my breath for a second f1 Alesi win but it just wasn't to be😢

[@ibex485]

re. Mansell and Ferrari: Mansell's decision to retire was largely the result of what happened at Silverstone that year (not because of no.1 status). My understanding is Mansell already had a Ferrari contract which gave him no.1 status for 1990 - something which was normal at the time, but which Mansell had not had before. (A contract signed with Enzo himself - Mansell was the last driver to be signed before Enzo's death, the last one to be personally chosen by the great man.) When Prost left McLaren after 1989, Mansell agreed to waive his contractual right to no.1 status for 1990. (But presumably expected both to be treated equally, but that didn't happen.) 1990 alongside Prost was difficult, Mansell had won 3 races the previous year, but none in 1990 and felt Prost was getting preferential treatment. At Silverstone he was faster than Prost. The story goes that Prost then asked Ferrari to swap the cars and give him Mansell's car - it must be a faster car - which they did. Mansell got pole and was leading the race, when his gearbox began to malfunction. Prost overtook, despite (reportedly) being given team orders to hold position in second. With Prost able to get away with this, it's no wonder Mansell decided to quit F1. Especially considering his similar experience at Lotus - signed by Colin Chapman, then after Chapman's death getting (as Mansell saw it) screwed by Peter Warr.

[@user-po3xj4zh7z]

How did I miss this. I am an old bloke and was an F1 fan from 1981 until Hamilton/DRS/ KERS. For me it was, and always will be, Gilles and Jean. I do like you vids.

[@TheShrike616]

He was such a ... I would like to say "natural" driver. Inherently fast.

[@nehylen5738]

As a fellow Frenchman, I was of course a bit more exposed to the guy on French TV, and he was really likeable. Apparently wholesome, direct, funny and quite approachable. It pains me a little that he didn't get the few wins he truly deserved, but I must agree with your conclusion: there are several ways to divide France, but one of the most intuitive (at least to me & my countrymen) is North & South. The more "Northern European" French, and the more "Mediterranean" ones, who are culturally closer to Spaniards and Italians than the former, have this warmer demeanour and air about them. Alesi was of the latter kind, without a shadow of a doubt. Prost meant a lot to him, but Ferrari also, both as someone of direct Italian heritage and being the Latin type of Frenchman. Maybe he could've done McLaren, as Ron Dennis seemed pretty paternalistic behind his cold façade. Williams & Head though? I would doubt it.

[@ibex485]

Every time I think of Alesi I can hear Murray Walker saying 'Oh Jean, what have you done...' after he ran out of fuel in Australia (ignoring increasingly frantic calls to pit from the team, lap after lap). One of my all-time favourite drivers (alongside Gerhard Berger) but... oh Jean was something we had to say a lot back then. So many what might have beens when it comes to Jean Alesi. I suspect Frank had a lucky escape when Alesi walked to Ferrari. But Mansell & Alesi would have been an awesome pairing to watch. I wonder how well Alesi would have handled driving the Active Ride cars? As with anything Alesi, he either would have been outstanding or it would have ended in complete disaster. There wasn't much in-between with Jean.

[@Rhubba]

Keke Rosberg once said of Frank Williams and Patrick Head "they never forgave me for not being Alan Jones" and that is a neat way of describing what Williams expect from their drivers. Jones was Frank and Patrick's ideal driver: No nonsense, uncomplaining (except to complain about Carlos Reutemann), playing the underdog, unfussy and focussed on getting the job done. Frank's sense of sentimentality was killed along with his best friend, Piers Courage, in 1970...after that he became the hard nosed team principal everyone got to know. He had the ultimate rebuttal for those who would whine, complain and cry "poor me": He was a quadriplegic and yet still ran one of the most successful F1 teams of all time and didn't let his disability get the better of him. Another quote about Williams: "Now he's in a wheelchair he'll become even more dangerous". For Williams, champions come and go...they're paid employees. That's not a bad way to run a team and Williams was considerably more friendly a working environment than Ron Dennis' McLaren but it doesn't suit every driver....Alesi, Alboretto and Berger are not Williams style drivers, then again neither is Ricardo Patrese but he is one of life's uncomplainers and fared better.

[@maleagerlemitee676]

Patrick Head was very complimentary about Patrese. I think the quote was, "the trouble is that his very best years were wasted in cars not worthy of him".

[@nitrous36]

It would be awesome if the drivers you talked about watched your videos and we got a response from them in the comments. Or even reached out to you for an interview, to give their take.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

His time, along with Berger's, at Ferrari was one of the reasons I have little time for the team. _Not_ for the drivers, just the powers that be. I like Fred Vasseur, Carlos & Charles, I like them a lot, but it's the big bosses I have no positivity for. This actually dates back to Enzo's days.

[@crystalracing4794]

The Schumacher days were an exception to the rule. From 2009 it was back to business as usual

[@getwhatdeserve5039]

Charles and Carlos are the new Alesi and Berger I reckon

[@heliumtrophy]

I think Frank's game of buff or bust was what was really the main undoing and Piquet's expert role as advice counsellor to Jean. Given also the fact that there is so much Italian heritage with Jean's family and that he was christened Gianni - going to Ferrari was a no-brainer for him. I often felt sorry for him at Benetton because Flavio's demands are....when both Alesi and Berger sound like they would have liked to have beaten Briatore up were it not for Flavio's old mafioso connections, there's a problem there. It's easy to say he should've gone to Williams and I think ideally yes but when you lurk underneath, there was the horrible scenario that he would have signed that contract and been on the sidelines for much of that time. I don't think that would've been nice either so whatever one thinks of Piquet (especially these days), he knew how to work the politics that otherwise would've potentially kyboshed a career. Still he will always be one of the more "what if" scenarios because there's a lot there that could be said! The other thing was that he was too reactive - looking at the stuff other competitors were doing and suggesting that they should try this and that which more often could've been to the detriment of the car. A lot of what we're seeing with Leclerc is what we saw with Alesi. We know their talent but Christ they just need to cool down a little.

[@aoife1122]

Well said... when Ferrari come knocking most drivers will answer that call without batting an eye, especially someone with Jean Alesi's background, even if it means driving a "bucket of bolts". ;) As for Leclerc, of all the French Ferrari drivers he reminds me more of Didier Pironi actually... sans le focus, that is.

[@heliumtrophy]

@@aoife1122 Monegasque drivers do take exception to being labelled French :p but I take your point...I'd still side more towards him being more like Alesi but that's just me.

[@leightonsteven7059]

Great post ty. I loved watching Alesi but yes like you I think he lacked that killer instinct. He was a great bloke, I was at a test day at silverstone, I was in the pit lane and was looking down at Alesi as he coasted in, I gave him a wave and was amazed when he waved back. Later in the day I had my picture taken with him , but for some reason it didn’t come out, I went back and asked for another and he readily agreed, although he did tease me about it

[@amaccama3267]

I was there when you nearly gave this away. So glad you didn't. Keep up the great work 👍 Oh and a suggestion for a video. "Is Lando Norris in danger of becoming a modern day Chris Amon?"

[@matthalliday7629]

Just found this channel and love your opinion and delivery. Keep up the good work to you and the partrons supporting. Class stuff

[@RSVTuono]

Alesi was my favorite driver of the era by far.

[@Durbanite2010]

I always found it surprising that McLaren didn't have a go for Alesi at the end of 1992 when Senna's contract was up in the air - he would have been a far better team-mate for Senna in 1993 than Andretti was and the Peugeot project in 1994 may have actually done a lot better with the added motivation of a French driver instead of a Finn and a Brit. Aidan makes a good point with how rough Frank Williams and Patrick Head treated drivers, but I think Alesi would have been a good number 2 to Mansell at Williams, as the focus would not be on him and he would play a supporting role and would likely have matched or bettered Patrese's results in the car. Alesi is a genuinely nice guy as well as really talented and Mansell would have probably helped him a lot at Williams. The same could be said for 1993 with Prost (Renault would have been overjoyed to have two French drivers and Alesi would get a season with his idol) and then possibly 1994 with Senna, as Hill would not have emerged due to Alesi's presence. Senna may also have felt less pressure on himself with Alesi there, as Alesi had much more race experience than Hill in 1994 (Hill's 2nd full season, while Alesi was on his 5th I believe).

[@VenusDoom891]

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that he was never a teammate of one of the absolute greats (Prost in 91 being the exception but in a car that was struggling - a bit like Russell is to Hamilton now or especially last year). Seeing him as Senna's or Schumacher's #2 would have been a waste - indeed I think he main reason he wasn't kept at Ferrari was I don't think he would have coped well in that role and Irvine was much more mentally capable of that. Great article anyway!

[@MattGP01]

Spectacular driver, but very thin skinned. Still, forever a cult hero!

[@AidanMillward]

Sold his f40 to fund his sons racing career. Dad of the year.

[@MattGP01]

@@AidanMillward Gotta love him! I admire his passion! It's why I also loved Montoya! Very thin skinned, but amazing on their day!

[@ichwersunst]

I said it a few times now, but...do Berger next pllsss^^ The best maniac to never be succesfull :D

[@markfarebrother8389]

10 GP wins.... not successful??

[@ichwersunst]

@@markfarebrother8389 well in ratio to how often he started...but let's rephrase it...best maniac who never became champion?

[@dantofoz11]

Jean Alesi was the reason I got into F1 back in 1990. I've also recently rewatched all of the 1990's season reviews, and to say that he was unlucky doesn't begin to cover it. He signed for Ferrari in one of the worst periods in their history. The car got faster as the years went by, but they could barely finish a race without something failing on the car. He was robbed of somewhere between 6-10 wins from 1991 - 1997, all down to car failure. Who knows, if he had have signed for Williams, we might be talking about 2 - 3 x World Champion Jean Alesi here. His drive in the 1995 Japanese Grand Prix will always be the best in my opinion. He was driving on a cloud that day, until, yet again, his Ferrari let him down.

[@frankphillips5533]

Jean was a joy to watch, especially in the rain. It brought a tear to my eye when he won in Canada, and I am NOT a Ferrari fan!

[@Torero2901]

Aidan, congrats for your convincing coverage of a driver whose lightning start you haven't had the chance to watch first hand. I had and you covered my chronologically 2nd favo driver in my 7th season watching F1 at age 11 in 1990. You have managed to take me back to my childhood and highlight that what makes my list of greatest drivers; The ones beating/challenging/not being afraid of my other or earlier favorites. Alesi 💪 on Senna ❤ Was as Lawson 💪on Max 🧀 Alonso on JP Montoya, olé Toreros! 😂 Again, well done content, balance and presentation wise. With all kinds of new F1 / racing content creators, you stay a stable quality factor through time. Cheers mate

[@meneldur19]

During the F1 decade series on Speed a commentator mentioned that in addition to the £4M to release Alesi, Frank got a super rare Ferrari thrown in as a sweetener, which he kept somewhere prominent at the Williams HQ. I'll have to find out what car it was now!

[@1_5RCBiker]

Alesi in that US race 1990 and the way he nicked the position back from Senna made me a fan there and then. Playing F1 on the Playstation, guess who I had as my driver? :)

[@attilatabanyi3275]

Ooooh great choice of topic

[@johnduncan5117]

My favourite f1 driver growing up, and still. I remember being soooo happy when he signed at Ferrari, it was the most romantic driver/car pairing. And then the win at Montreal was just unreal after all the pain. I kind of disagree with the conclusion that Alesi needed an arm around his shoulder (he certainly didnt get one at Benetton yet drove well there). But I do agree that he was not the ruthless type. However the 92/93 era Williams was just so good. If Alesi were the number one he would have won both titles I'm pretty sure. I think the fact that he switched places at Benetton with Schumi when they lost their direction and pace made him look very bad and people's views on his ability changed. Plus Schumacher was an alien. You can be a lot slower than him and STILL the second best driver of the late 90s. Now there's a school of thought that says Alesi was just good at crashing cars and was too emotional. When you look at all the retirements though, 90% of the Ferrari ones are mechanical. At Benetton he was very consistent. And in his last season in f1 he finished every race bar one. Most F1 cars were extremely unreliable back then.

[@hugoagogo9435]

Remember his first race at phoenix. Sensational. Was over moon when he was heading to Ferrari. But the car wasn’t there and despite his fantastic ability he was a bit temperamental

[@MyWifeHatesThisCar]

As you mentioned Murray Walker, and you probably know this - did you know Nigel Mansell was born about a 5/10 minutes walk away from where Murray Walker was born? And both of them were born about 5/10 minutes away from where Jasper Carrott was born? If only Carrott had something to do with motorsport, you'd have the closest motorsport triangle in the world.

[@dominicbarden4436]

I was under the impression that Mansell was born in Upton-upon-Severn, which is at the southern end of Worcestershire near Malvern. He was raised in Brum though.

[@AidanMillward]

Yeah, Mansell was born in Upton on Severn which is closer to Gloucester and Bristol than Birmingham. Murray Walker is from Hall Green. There’s some nice houses there. Wonder if he lived near any of them.

[@MyWifeHatesThisCar]

@@AidanMillward ah balls. At least they all lived there! The houses where Murray was born are all terraced houses I think from memory. The ones where Mansell lived were more detached, and I think Mansell lived in the nicer houses because they're closer to Sarehole Mill. I only know this much because I was born myself in Hall Green opposite the Lucas factory that Mansell's dad(?) worked at. Either that or the Lucas factory behind the house. Those were different houses as the Lucas factory opposite was bombed during the war, so the house I lived in were council houses built in the 50s. I should really do a TripAdvisor about Hall Green...

[@AidanMillward]

@@MyWifeHatesThisCar my mum grew up in Hamstead. Compeltely different world. Dads from Walsall but grew up in Great Barr. So I know north Birmingham VERY well.

[@joycey845]

@@AidanMillward Imagine if Mansell had the same droning voice, but with a Worcs/Gloucs farmer twang added on top.

[@Pewnhound112]

I’m with you, Aidan. I always thought Jean was a brilliant driver with undeniable talent and WDC potential, that didn’t shake the right hands or kiss the right babies off the track to get into advantageous positions with top tier teams.

[@harblewarble6427]

What happened to all the old vids Aidan?! This channel was so cool!

[@minibus9]

Awesome video, i have to agree that he was partly unlucky and partly too nice to be a champion, excelent driver arguably could have had more success in other forms of motorsport in my opinon

[@ic3man]

3:02 2018, Ricciardo also had an ERS or engine issue if I remember correctly

[@GWFires]

maybe you dont realise but this is a huge territory for a "What if", as the Fate of Alesi is indirect the Fate of Williams. A young and motivated Alesi next to Mansell wouldnt even rewrite most likely the early 90´s but impact into the late 00´s. The first crack in Williams was when Mansell left the team in 92, which could have not happened next to Alesi. Which means there would be no disagreement between the three leading factors at Williams (Newey, Head & Williams). Which would also mean that Newey wouldnt have felt "betrayed" by them in 96. As Hill was let loose, after wanting more money and another contract like Mansell before him. Which was then replaced by HHF, which was decided over the Head of Newey, which lead to the decision of him leaving Williams for Mclaren. So no Super Mclaren in 98. It would most likely lead to the Situation that Wiliams would have won everything from the early 90´s to the mid 00´s. As its even unlikely that Renault would have the guts to withdrawn from F1, as the outcry of France would have ended them. As by then Alesi would have gotten many wins for France at that time. What even would be this "What if", it would make Alesi to the ultimative French Driver (maybe even ranked higher than Prost)

[@MWPompert]

Alesi is not the type of guy that would fit in at Williams in my view. By the way, if there was a single race that tells everything you need to know about Alesi it is Suzuka 1995. He was bending the laws of physics mixed with mistakes and ultimately failing to finish yet again, but in mixed conditions nobody came close to his pace, The Michael included.

[@francomachiavello2070]

my favourite f1 driver. no he wasn't the best, but as a kid I stayed up all night to catch the live broadcast to root for him

[@francomachiavello2070]

I was at the 96 Argentinian GP, and I still remember being deafened by Jean's benetton coming out of the hairpin, a core memory

[@mpainter22]

My understanding of Jean is he waa a heart over head kinda guy ie head said wait it out for that Williams seat heart said go to Ferrari alongside his idol. Had he been in F1 in a previous era i think he would have been a WDC he was that good, unfortunately the ultra ruthless and cerebral drivers had long since come along, think Prost, Lauda, Senna, Schumacher, now just being an immense talent with a fiery temperament wasn't going to cut it

[@Dre_The_Millennial]

Alesi is French-Sicilian. Msn was born to be an emotional time-bomb.

[@Holden308]

I remember watching the 1989 French Grand Prix live on Channel 9 in Adelaide when Alesi made his F1 debut. We didn't get F3000 in Australia so we had no idea who this French kid who'd replaced a favourite like Michele Alboreto, was. But he was good, very good ... except in his career choices. Right place, wrong time is apt for Jean Alesi. Wrong time to be at Ferrari, then the wrong time to be at Benetton. They were the right places to be, especially Ferrari. But he was at both at the wrong time, simple as that. Fact is that he should have gone to Williams Renault like he'd originally signed to.......

[@BoboTheVulture]

It's interesting to see this sort of perspective on Williams and think about its fortunes now as opposed to the days of Frank Williams and Patrick Head. Obviously the results have flip-flopped as well, but it seems like a far more nurturing environment these days. They've picked up wounded-bird Alex Albon and brought him into a seeming flourishing form, and George Russell obviously had to leave but did seem to bear some loyalty to the team.

[@mrkipling2201]

I always considered Alesi too good to be a midfield driver, but just below a Senna, Mansell, Prost or Piquet. Or a Schumacher or Hill, for the 1990's F1 fans. Better than a Boutsen or Alboreto though. Talking about the FW14B, that wasn't the only reason why Mansell won the World Championship in 1992. He'd nearly won the World Championship a number of times before, even though he didn't have the best car on the grid. Plus Patrese was driving the FW14B, so why didn't the fight for the World Championship end up a lot closer??

[@palm92]

Alboreto fought Prost all season long in 1985 so I’d rate him over Alesi, IMO.

[@palm92]

@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 He had 0 mechanical sympathy and would break the machines. Brutally fast but very little finesse and got demoralized easily, and had a lack of focus at times too.

[@mramaz1ngarry728]

Wasn't the 1990 tyrrell running pirelli tyre's. Which was fantastic qualifying tyre's. But didn't hold up as well as Goodyears in the race.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

What was it with Uncle Ken, his team, an Monaco? They always seemed to be able to do something amazing there no matter what and I'm curious why, was it he car, the track, or just everything lining up for them. The two that spring to mind are the 1990 one you mentioned, an the 1997 I'm going to run 70 something laps in the rain with no pit stops, said Mika salo. A harbinger of his sportscar career in later years, as it turned out. Salo may well be one to chuck on the what if... list but he did have success with Ferrari, just,, not in an F1 car

[@nickypoundtown9568]

Because the circuit evened out the performance of the field, a powerful engine means nothing, Tyrrell always had nimble cars as that was Harvey Postlethwaites style with the aggression of Alesi and even Modena the following year can only be a good thing

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Was Harvey there in 96-97 though? I forget when he left and who took over after him however@@nickypoundtown9568

[@markisam6356]

I had a thought for a potential future video. Who is the most successful designer i.e. Adrian Newey or Ross brawn or someone from the early days?

[@bcswalkman]

I think requested this very subject!

[@saifulaimran8022]

So close now to the Moreno story time

[@arthurguitar]

8:12 Schumacher did recover to finish 5th, but I’ll let you off 😏 (such was his dominance he still got points after touring to the pits and a minute plus pit stop)

[@macindahaus]

3:01 - wasn't the Ricciardo vs. Vettel race in 2018?

[@calumclark1719]

Eddie Jordan was heavily involved in the Ferrari and Williams deal for Alesi he was on him and DC's podcast recently, I Never understood Frank Williams thinking after 1991 until 2002 just was wacky getting rid of World champions and it never really made much sense, Alesi was bloody brilliant loved him as a youngster, i agree with you though it think he was always bound to be a bridesmaid and never the bride, even say Ferrari stuck with him and took Schumacher he would have been expected to be a number 2, If Ferrari had not buggered about John Bernard and Ferrari had been able to improve in the early 90s maybe a different story but there would be a possibility they would have wanted a world champion on board and gone to get Mansell again or Senna

[@solitaryclusterofneurons598]

Even if you don't consider what could've been with Alesi and Williams in another universe, looking at how well suited he looked at Jordan on the last few races of his career, maybe his career could have also been different if he had moved to Jordan for 1996 as opposed to Benetton where he was a bad fit; if the likes of an aging Martin Brundle and Rubens Barrichello could push the 96 Jordan to relatively consistent 4th places, then surely someone of Alesi's talent could push that same car to podiums. If the likes of Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella could push the 97 Jordan to 3rd and 2nd places, then surely Alesi could've taken that same car to wins, and then you have to ask what 1998 could've looked like for Jordan (Peugeot taking F1 more seriously with Jordan's competitive car? Or Honda giving works engines to Jordan over BAR?). Alesi's very much a 'mood' driver, and I reckon he'd be a lot more accomplished if he was ever in a team with people he's well-suited to for a significant amount of time to truly grow in such a way that he could work on his weaknesses. There's a championship-capable talent within Alesi, but he never really had the nurturing environment to develop on his weaknesses to truly become a champion.

[@colindowd9756]

I seem to recall an ITV interview with Sir Stirling Moss in the late 90s where he remarked that Alesi, like Herbert, wasn't "enough of a b@st@rd to win the World Championship"

[@Dalesi]

Alesi’s frustration showed more and more in his driving over the years following 92/93. At times Charles Leclerc seems to be going through the same

[@AidanMillward]

Leclerc is only rated because he's a Ferrari product. Anyone else they'd be saying he's washed and needs to go.

[@benjaminfox9628]

Well worth listening to Tom Clarksons beyond the grid interview with Ivan Capelli, shows a lot of the situation that playing out at Ferrari at the time, how disjointed they were as an organisation

[@JohnSmithShields]

Alesi managed to coach Clarkson in an imitation Lotus to improve his times. He certainly had skills.

[@vaclav_fejt]

"A man I admire dearly is touching my testicles."

[@gdogg3710]

That Tyrrell was light. Didn’t it also run on Pirelli’s? Seem to recall those being quite hard wearing, if a bit low on grip. The lack of weight, power and tyre deg probably masked most of Alesi’s weaknesses around over driving, whereas at Ferrari the opposite was true and then later in his career grooved tyres etc even more so…

[@palm92]

The Pirelli tires had awesome grip in qualifying but the race tires were not as good and fell off generally.

[@mrkipling2201]

I always put Alesi alongside Gerhard Berger. Probably because they seemed to be teammates quite often. Or so it seemed to me.

[@JasonAyalaSpare]

It's understandable that he chose Ferrari, they were second in the constructors in 1990 and winning more races than Williams. However, that same season Williams signed Adrian Newey from Leyton House. Very few people could have predicted how Newey would completely change Williams' trajectory.

[@l1a146]

I always liked Alesi. He never came across as a complete @#&t like some drivers and he didnt have that ruthless streak, that it seems is what's required in the "modern" era. But there were days when he would just take his balls in his hands and pull off some amazing things. (Must have had pretty big hands at times). 😂 As for Williams not being the cuddly type, Keke Rosberg once said " Frank never quite forgave me for not being Alan Jones". Sums it up really.

[@eamonahern7495]

He might have won races in the Jordan 197. Gary Anderson felt Rubens Barrichello left a year too early and could have won with Jordan in the car they had for 1997. So I suspect Alesi could have too. I think there was speculation that Jordan wanted Alesi for 1997 but it never got past speculation. Oh what could have been if Hill and Alesi were willing to take a pay cut and Jordan took them instead of 2 rookies in 1997 with a car that got those rookies podiums in Argentina, Canada and Spa and was was challenging for the win at Hockenheim until Fisi got a puncture.

[@johnyossarian1135]

Alesi is just 90s legleg. Spectacular but psychologically fragile and given the Ferrari treatment by inept Italians. Also showed up and then took over from a 4 time world champion. Plus he wouldn't have gotten into a Williams since Frank was angling for Senna and Mansell so Jean was the third option for if neither were hooked

[@glockmat]

In '91 Senna was going to stay with McLaren, he only considered Williams in '92

[@johnyossarian1135]

@@glockmat Senna never intended to move but Frank thought he might which is why Jean was third in line

[@darren2514fv]

If Alesi joined Mansell at Williams we could have had a Italian driver at Ferrari in the form of Riccardo Patrese

[@GWFires]

like Capelli in 92 ?

[@mark4lev]

Alesi was flattered in his tyrrell by the Pirelli tyres. He did however show his skill in the wet in that Ferrari. Oh and that ‘ 95 Ferrari. Highest revving v12 engine ever made…..

[@blackflagqwerty]

Alesi blew the race all on his own at Monza in '94. John Barnard said "He revved the engine too high when he engaged 1st gear, this stripped the dogs off the dogrings. He did it again to 2nd. He could have got away if he calmed down, dropped the revs and engaged 3rd gear. Instead he got out of the car and stormed off to the airport"

[@Dalesi]

Fascinating, do you have a source?

[@blackflagqwerty]

@@Dalesi 1994 Autocourse F1 annual.

[@ryangavigan2049]

and when he got a chance to do the 500 it was in a Lotus that was so slow it was black flagged before lap 10

[@periklaskyriakidis6064]

Jean Alesi might not be the most successful driver, but I feel he's probably the most loved driver by the Tifosi after Schumi, Seb, Kimi, Lauda and Leclerc. And that's a huge compliment given his career. Imo he was definitely the unluckiest driver ever.

[@nicolasbournias3077]

Sorry Aidan, this I a bit dry. Jean was a fearless pedal to the metal driver, the closest to the great Gilles Villeneuve, arguably the most spectacular driver in F1 and the most adored Ferrari driver in history. Jean never had a winning chance in all his years with Ferrari. He would drive the car to the limit and more often than not, above it, he would demonstrate a remarkable tenacity and fighting spirit in every race. Unfortunately, he would never be there to scoop up a win when the strong cars failed. For all his years he would be a the tragic hero of the tifosi, representing not the triumphs but the tragedies of the team. For that he is still adored, for all those Sundays starting in hope and ending in disappointment, he is more loved and respected than most of the Ferrari drivers that brought victories and titles

[@mrkipling2201]

Yes watch Bullseye. A Sunday teatime programme, that signalled the end of the weekend......

[@harmkuijpers6642]

Jean Alesi is a good example of why drivers shouldn't switch teams based on current performance; there is a major rule change coming up in F1 in 2026. Imagine Norris jumping ship to Red Bull, only to find out that McLaren have a race winning car that year, while Red Bull struggles with poor engines. F1 is sort of in limbo at the moment, with Red Bull looking unbeatable until the end of 2025. Still my money would be on either Red Bull, Merc or Ferrari for 2026, with McLaren as an outsider. I highly doubt Audi will be a winning team straight away, it took BMW a few years to win with Sauber as well.

[@hamdanali2036]

hey man. how come you’ve sorta moved away from sim racing and have been recently pumping out these real life story videos? not a criticism (although i love the sim racing stuff), but just wondering.

[@Twin540i]

Schumacher replaced the steering wheel due to gearbox selection issues and finish 5th in the race

[@chipwhitley9407]

Still can’t believe he only had ONE win in F1. At least he won on his birthday.

[@1greenMitsi]

I think Alesi's career was burnt out and soul crushed by Ferrari DNF's. If he hadve gone to williams he wouldve raked up the wins podiums and the odd hug and wouldve changed his whole mindset. Unlike coulthard for eg we never saw Jean in a championship winning car

[@soundjarvis81]

Jean Alesi is my mum's favourite F1 driver of all time!

[@jasonrushton5991]

Alway's like Jean's driving, but as you say, wrong place-wrong time. "If Only He'd..." sort of thing. If he had of gone to Williams in 91, he possibly could of stayed in that top team as a 2nd driver to Nige Prost & Senna. With pulling off some great win's in those seasons for himself?!? Who know's. I'm a Red 5 Nutta fan, SUPA NIGEL!!! But he could of given Nige a run for his money a few more time's then Riccado P. ?!?!

[@philllawrence1580]

Hi Aidan Schumi finished 5th in Canada 95 😉

[@frankdocter]

Came here to say that. How could anyone forget the iconic picture of Jean celebrating on the back of Schumi’s car. (Which would have been impossible if Schumi had retired).

[@joefratianni8693]

Damn...those cars were just sexy back then, both sight and sound. Can we petition them to come back? Just add a halo...pretty please?

[@dangerdean9066]

This guy deserved more wins than 1 when you watch him drive

[@Themilkman9999]

7:55 Berger won what ? or u ment Hockenheim?

[@Oblio1942]

I think its possible he could have been champ if he had the right car and was clear number 1 in the team. It would be really close tho, but seeing the way he drove the absolute pants off some of those cars, esp some of those ferraris, I think he definitely had the talent

[@larrygliss]

I was at the race in Montreal 1995 I was 5 year old

[@friggincanvee]

Alesi probably did fit in best at Ferrari culturally... But it's not like he would be the one to get them out of the doldrums like MSC did.

[@chrismc1977]

Jean was quick in the Tyrrell. After that he made a bad choice with Ferrari. He was solidly outpaced by Prost in 91 in an average car & then became defacto team leader for 92 in the awful F92A. His temperament & emotions I often thought got the better of him. Plenty of promise- but should have walked from Ferrari much sooner…

[@luisvaldes1568]

You where born in 1990, I watched the Phoenix race on TV.

[@musculusiv4172]

Where does this come from that Alesi "needed an arm around his shoulder"? Not saying it wrong but judging from the results he did about as well as he could everywhere he went and he just never got a competitive car

[@Sirdoolan]

I can only imagine, missing out on the fastest car ever, twice, by moving a season early would severely dent your confidence, and make you believe, against even the strongest evidence, that no, you ain’t that guy.

[@soundslave]

So Alesi made the kind of career choices that make Alonso proud