They all wanted Jean Alesi

French Jean Alesi debuted in Formula 1 in the 1989 French Grand Prix at Paul-Ricard in a Tyrrell-Ford, and sensationally finished fourth, having even run as high as second during the race. Ken Tyrrell was sufficiently impressed to give him an eighteen-month contract, that ran till the end of the 1990 season.

Picture above: Once more, Jean Alesi was impressive in qualifying for the 1990 Canadian Grand Prix when he qualified in eighth, two seconds quicker than teammate Nakajima. In the race, however, conditions were moist, making for a slippery track. On lap 26, Alesi lost control of his car while challenging another competitor and spun heavily in the tyre barrier.

With Jonathan Palmer having retired from driving at the end of 1989 and a new teammate in Japanese Satoru Nakajima, Alesi became Tyrrell’s lead driver in 1990, for what would be his full first year in Grand Prix racing (prior to the start of the 1990 season, Alesi only had 8 race starts in Formula One).

Sensation at the first event, the US Grand Prix at Phoenix, when Alesi led for 25 laps in front of Ayrton Senna with a car powered by a Ford V8 engine, against Senna’s Honda V10 McLaren. He ultimately, after an impressive fight, finished second. Second place in Monaco followed and by mid-season top teams were fighting for his services in 1991.

A confused situation erupted, with Tyrrell, Williams and Ferrari all claiming to have signed the driver within a short period. Finally, Alesi the Frenchman from Sicilian origin, could not resist the temptation of driving a red car, and opted for the Scuderia Ferrari.