Why the Alesi buzz in silly season ?

[Super Tourer]

Why the big buzz on Alesi

e's been in two of the top teams in F1 and won one Grand Prix...

As far as i'm concerned he's another of those drivers living on plast fleeting glory (Early days at Tyrell).

He's driven a Ferrari and Benetton in F1 how many more chances do you need than that !!

Yes he's spec in the rain but he throws off the road, is still too hotheaded after all these years and prone to amateurish mistakes.

Sorry forum he doesn't do it for me

[TimD]

Why do I get the impression with Jean Alesi that when he leaves Formula 1 it will be a change rather than an end?

I see him as very similar to so many of his countrymen, not necessarily successful in GP terms, but able to carve out for himself a successful and prosperous record in other classes.

Think Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Jean-Pierre Jarier, even the great Henri Pescarolo.

None were awesome in F1, but could have been if the cards had fallen differently, and all had (have) glittering careers elsewhere.

Perhaps there are a couple of Le Mans wins in Jean yet.

[Minardi fan]

The day Jean Alesi leaves F1 will be a VERY sad day indeed.

[Liz]

Jean Alesi is a "pilote" in the old fashioned sense of the word. Not a pretty, politically correct fashion plate with a wallet for a soul and a stock ticker for a heart. Just like Gilles, he would rather give it everything he has and end up in the dirt than trail along safely and quietly in ninth place. And I for one would like to see more Alesi type pilotes in F1 and fewer of the present type. When Jean hangs 'em up a lot of the colour will go out of F1.

But then F1 is only about making lots of money and Buying Things, isn't it? Sorry, I keep forgetting.

[Crash Test]

Super Tourer I'm with you on this one. He has had years and years to win world championship/races but he hasn't done it. He makes a few good starts this year, passes a few slower cars, whips and inexperienced team mate, murray martin get all over excited, suddenly he's driving for McLaren next year...

He may very well be a tiger, pit bull and a cobra rolled into one, but i don't think he is the greatest thing on wheels.

[Gerard]

I like Jean Alesi and I would hate to see him leave.
He is not only a very fast driver but also a man with passion.
He's one of the few of todays crop who doesn't have a windup key in his back.

[slicktoast]

Current F1 designs/tires do not favor a man like Jean. Too bad. Worse is that he didn't go to another premier series while he still has heart instead of wasting time in the seat he has now. He doesn't even get to go race distance...

[jack]

Alesi had the chance to join Williams in early '90's. He passed it up to drive for Ferrari. As soon as Ferrari got their **** together, they fired him & took on MS/EI.
The guy has awesome talent & car-control, but perhaps not the mental strenghts needed at the top level. Still, 1 GP victory is hardly representative of his talent.
Perhaps the greatest waste of talent in the history of the sport...

[Liz]

Well Crash and Super Tourer, why don't y'all hop in that evil Prost and show Jean Alesi how it should be done?

Anybody who can make that rolling disaster come home at all deserves a real vote of confidence.

[Crash Test]

Crash Test by name, crash test by nature Yeah, give me a Prost, give me a Prost!!

You have to be good to make it in F1, he is good. But just people are there saything that if he were in a McLaren he would whip everyone....nah i dont think so...

How many years before he retires, i thought he considered it before this season (?). Really he should have won a few more races by now. Wasn't he the next Amon before he won once?

[Super Tourer]

Liz - I'm not referring to Alesi's current performance as I agree the Prost looks evil to drive.

But he has had plenty of chances at Ferrari and Bennetton to prove his worth.

Whatever I don't think he will be in F1 next year, there are now too many drivers knocking on the F1 doors and the 'Button experience' will probably see more teams chance their arm with a new driver.

Incidentally wasn't Button faster than Alesi when he tested the Prost.......

[abraham]

I wonder how it feels to be liked so much (or quite a lot anyway), to have a talent, pure and uncompromised by business and politics, and to have only won 1 race in a life time. What about racing for a past teanmate that is quite the opposite of our friend. He seemed to trust Jean to run for him.

I hate the idea to have Jean leaving F1 with so little luggage but again, as it was mentioned, he did have his chances; or maybe just one year too late or too soon.

[Liz]

That Ferrari he drove was no good either - he and Berger used to wonder why the team practiced tire changes since neither car ever made it as far as a pit stop!

My opinion: he was born into the wrong era. In the 1980s he'd have won big time.

[Crash Test]

Well Liz, we all know the answer to this one: wormholes