Alesi to Jordan: NEW EVIDENCE!!!!!!

[Minardi fan]

Yes ladies and gentlemen... a certain Jean Alesi is staying at the posh hotel in Buckingham tomorrow - Buckingham being 10 minutes from Silverstone and the Jordan factory. He is staying for one night only.

Is he here to sign a deal to drive for the rest of the season or 2002???

[DNQ]

Eddie Jordan has virtually made the 'silly season isnt silly anymore' thread virtually redundant. It's more like a crazy season!

Alesi to Jordan? Well, It will probably happen, but not until next year, unless of course Mr Prost is that short of cash that he's prepared to sell of his star driver... which could be the case.

[Minardi fan]

He probably has no choice - apparently Alain has yet to pay Alesi's wages for this season, nor has he yet paid for the Ferrari engines.

Therefore Alain has broken the contract and Jean is a free agent.

[Liz]

Dare I ask how you found this out?

[senna12]

Murray said it best..."Anything can happen in Formula 1, and it usually does."

If Jean has not been paid this year, then I'm sure the contract has been broken. Alain needs cash. Hasn't paid for the engines this year. Why hasn't Diniz stepped up with more coin? Does he want to take control through the back door, as it were? (the Briatore/Asiatech connection).

'Ya gotta love this stuff.

Jean would look good in a Jordan. An occasional podium would not be out of the question.

[Minardi fan]

Our friend Sauber_16 works in the very hotel which Jean is staying in - indeed she has been spending the day preparing his room. Apparently the flowers have arrived and the person who did them deliberately picked blue and yellow ones for Prost and Jordan!

[Mekola]

Sacre Bisogne!!!! Alesi back to Jordan twelve years later!!!

[Maxmil]

Originally posted by Liz
Dare I ask how you found this out?

In addition to our "in house" source, I have seem reports on the net this morning attributed to "French Media" for whatever that's worth. They alledge he had a seat fitted yesterday at Jordon.

[Stephen Green]

Well if the rumours are true then it could well mean some exciting racing for Jordan and the rest of us this year/next year. Fingers crossed for Jean, it will be great to see him in a car worthy of his talents!

[BBKing]

I would be very surprised if Alesi finishes half of the remaining races driving for Jordan. Not only the yellow car is unreliable but Alesi is reckless. Probably 2 or 3 blistering laps then the usual Sunday walk back to the pits…LOL

[Liz]

Trulli and Our Jean on the same team?

Gives a whole new meaning to "Frank Exchange of Views" doesn't it???

However, I'm all for it and roll on Hungary so we can see what comes next.

P.S. As for preparing Jean's room, I will absolutely not say what the first thought that came to MY mind was about that.

[Adam43]

Originally posted by BBKing
Alesi is reckless.

Hmmm. I'm not sure that this holds true anymore and probably hasn't since his Benetton days. Mr consistent finisher...

[Don K]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
Hmmm. I'm not sure that this holds true anymore and probably hasn't since his Benetton days. Mr consistent finisher...

Tyrrell 1989: 8 starts, 5 finishes.
Tyrrell 1990: 15 starts, 10 finishes.
Ferrari 1991: 16 starts, 8 finishes.
Ferrari 1992: 16 starts, 6 finishes.
Ferrari 1993: 16 starts, 7 finishes.
Ferrari 1994: 14 starts, 8 finishes.
Ferrari 1995: 17 starts, 9 finishes.
Benetton 1996: 16 starts, 11 finishes.
Benetton 1997: 17 starts, 14 finishes.
Sauber 1998: 16 starts, 12 finishes.
Sauber 1999: 16 starts, 8 finishes.
Prost 2000: 17 starts, 5 finishes.

I would say he finally has regained the reliability he used to have in his Benetton days.

[Total-F1]

Prost has the reliability but not the performance.

Jordan has the performance (potential, due to the driver choice) but not the reliability...

Best bet? Jordan...

Alesi does have a tendency to choose the worst possible team, so that doesn't bode well for Jordan...

[Don K]

Originally posted by Total-F1
Alesi does have a tendency to choose the worst possible team, so that doesn't bode well for Jordan...

I don't agree ...

OK, Prost did fall from 7 to 10/11 when Alesi joined.
But Sauber climbed from 7 to 6.
Benneton dropped from 1 to 3.
Ferrari dropped from 2 to 3.
And Tyrrel climbed from 8/6 to 5.

So 2 of the 5 teams he joined in fact got stronger.

[Liz]

Nobody can drag a team to the top all alone. Even St. Gilles could not do that, and Prost could not do it at Ferrari (which is one reason they fired him, for saying forthrightly that he couldn't save the unsaveable).

And I don't see that anyone else has managed to make Prost a contender either, and I think Jean has more points than anyone else on that team has managed (discounting the year when it was still basically Ligier).

[f1manoz]

Originally posted by Liz
..... I think Jean has more points than anyone else on that team has managed (discounting the year when it was still basically Ligier).

Trulli scored 8 points for the team in 1998-99 - 1 point in Belgium in 1998 and 7 points (including a second at the Nurburgring) in 1999. Panis did score 16 points in 1997 and 2 in 1999, but as you said, in 1997 the team was still Ligier (had been designed as a Ligier as Prost only took over the team at the last minute).

I do hope Alesi has signed for Jordan. Firstly, it would mean more points. And imagine him and JPM going head to head, now that would be a battle!!!! But it would mean the end to his fabulous finishing record - the Prost is slow but reliable, the Jordan is fast but unreliable. Trading points for finishes?

[Rimrider]

I think its exciting for Jordan to have Alesi in the team. I would sooner have him instead of Frenzen and I think EJ has done the right thing. I wouldn't mind betting that he has similar thoughts about Trulli. He doesn't do anything for me.