Former Ferrari star Jean Alesi: “Hamilton now has as many wins as I do”

Jean Alesi was underutilised at Ferrari for years. It is a cruel irony of racing history that this master behind the wheel never managed to achieve more than a single victory, in Canada in 1995.

Alesi has kept his finger on the pulse of Formula 1; speaking to his colleagues at Quotidiano Nazionale, he gave his assessment of Hamilton’s success at Ferrari. Naturally, the Frenchman with Sicilian roots couldn’t resist a little joke: “Lewis Hamilton now finally has as many wins at Ferrari as I do.”

Then the driver with 201 Grand Prix starts under his belt turns serious: “Lewis, of course, never forgot how to drive a racing car. But even he had to wait a long time for this first victory. I saw him in Spain; the relief was written all over his face. I can well imagine how he feels.”

What does the future hold for Ferrari? Alesi, who finished fourth in the World Championship in 1996 and 1997, believes: “Ferrari will win more races, but I can’t imagine it will be enough to catch up with Mercedes. No, the title is out of reach.”

How does Alesi view Charles Leclerc’s situation? Jean continues: “I drove for Ferrari during a period of crisis back then. And even when the great Michael Schumacher arrived, it took a while to win the title. Charles has been at Ferrari for a while now, but he’s hardly had a car capable of winning the title. He doesn’t have anything to prove; everyone knows he’s an absolutely top-class driver.”

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“The fact that Leclerc has re-signed with Ferrari proves two things: firstly, that he believes in the Ferrari project; secondly, that Ferrari believes in him.”