What’s bad luck? Ask Jean Alesi. The Frenchman has always found himself at the wrong place and at the wrong time. What could have been a glorious F1 career ended with just one win from 202 Grand Prix attempts for Jean Alesi.
His debut was brilliant. Alesi finished ninth in the championship in his first two years with Tyrrell. From Ferrari to Williams, everyone wanted to sign him given the talent he had. Alesi chose the former but little did he know that the Prancing Horse would struggle.
Instead, it was Williams who dominated the early 90s.
“It was difficult for me at Ferrari as the car didn’t perform well.
Now, the Formula One operations are far more reliable. During my days it wasn’t the case. I suffered a lot because of mechanical or engine failures,” Alesi told DNA on the sidelines of the i1 Supercar Series testing at Yas Marina Circuit.
“I had a contract with Williams stating that if they don’t make an announcement before the French Grand Prix (in 1990 season), I can speak to other teams interested in me. They were trying to rope in Aryton Senna and were keeping me waiting. So when Ferrari came with an offer I joined them,” he said.
History repeated itself when he joined Benetton, who were on a downturn after winning back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995 with Michael Schumacher.
Alesi and Schumacher swapped places in 1996. The rest, as they say, is history. Schumi, after struggling initially, restored Ferrari’s lost glory. Alesi, meanwhile, was left wondering what could have been. Though he finished fourth in the championship in 1996 and 1997, an unsettled team meant he could never mount a serious challenge.
“We had same title-winning technical staff at Benetton when I joined, but Ross Brawn and team followed Schumacher to Ferrari after a month. Initially, the car performed well but with no development happening, the performance dipped. No one had any clue what was happening,” Alesi said.
With a bit of luck, he could have won many more races and at least one championship, but the 47-year-old is not regretting the decisions he made. “When I look back at my career I’m satisfied with it. It could have been better but I’ve no regrets.”
Coming back to i1 Supercar Series, he was a bit reluctant to join it in the beginning as he had a bitter experience with another series which was held in this part of the world. “The Far and Middle Eastern Speedcar Series (which lasted for just two season 2008 and 2009) was a bad experience for me. They didn’t pay us. So initially, I took a cautious approach regarding i1, but once I was convinced with the concept I agreed to be a part of it.”
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