Jean Alesi: “For Italians, Ferrari isn’t just a team – it’s a religion”

When Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s long-serving chairman, had to leave the company, he said: “You can remove me from Ferrari, but you can never remove Ferrari from me.”

Anyone who has ever worked in Maranello usually holds a special place in their heart for Ferrari. This also applies to the long-serving Grand Prix driver Jean Alesi.

When Jean Alesi, from the south of France, signed for Ferrari, he was instantly embraced by the Italians: Firstly because of his spectacular driving style, secondly because of his great fighting spirit, and thirdly because of his heritage, as the Alesi family had once moved from Sicily to Avignon in France.

It remains unforgettable how Alesi led from pole position here at Monza in 1994 in a Ferrari, then had to retire, and – furious at this bitter blow – jumped into his private car still in his racing overalls, with only his brother managing to keep up just about, and disappearing from the Parco with his tyres smoking, heading for Avignon.

It is fitting for Jean’s Formula 1 career that Alesi secured both his pole positions here at Monza: in 1994 with Ferrari, to the fans’ wild delight, and in 1997 with Benetton, when the applause was polite but subdued.

Topic of the week

Ferrari row with Hamilton and Leclerc: Team principal Vasseur must now step up

Ferrari came away empty-handed at the Dutch Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth. Afterwards, both drivers were angry, and team principal Fred Vasseur found himself having to explain the situation.

Read more

TV program

Tomorrow

Monza: 1. Freies Training

FIA Formula One World Championship

04.09.2026 - 12:15

Taking to the grid at Monza as a Ferrari driver – you can’t get any more pressure than that, as Jean knows from his own experience: “That was always a huge responsibility. The Tifosi expect Ferrari drivers to be right up there at the front, regardless of any difficulties.”

“I’ve driven for six teams in Formula 1, but Ferrari is in a league of its own. Ferrari isn’t just a racing team; here, it’s the national team, and for many Tifosi, Ferrari is a religion. Despite the weight of responsibility, I always found the fans’ support incredibly inspiring.”

Alesi was a driver who relied on instinct. Does he find modern Formula 1 too data-driven, dominated by engineers and dependent on the race car?

Jean says: “As far as the engineers are concerned, I don’t see any difference from the past – they used to be the brightest minds in the industry, and they still are today. And back then, it was just as important to be in a competitive car as it is today. But we had far less data to por over, and the regulations allowed the cars to look markedly different in my day.”

“But no matter how highly specialised the sport has become, it’s still the driver who makes the difference. Just look at the fantastic performances Max Verstappen is putting in compared to his team-mates. Ultimately, Formula 1 hasn’t become too technical, just different.”

What the driver with 201 Grand Prix starts regrets: “I always dreamt of winning at Monza with Ferrari. Unfortunately, it never worked out. I really regret that.”

What moves Jean Alesi: “When I walk through the gates into the Royal Park, there’s so much love and passion in the air – it’s an exhilarating feeling. The fans have kept me in their hearts to this day, and I realise that I’ll always be part of the family. You only find that at Ferrari.”