Alesi Confirmed at Jordan; Frentzen Joins Prost

Jean Alesi joined Jordan for the rest of the 2001 season on Wednesday, after negotiations to get him out of his contract at Prost were successfully concluded.

At the same time, Prost announced signing Heinz-Harald Frentzen for the remainder of the season. The German spent much of yesterday at Prost's factory, in France.

"I am overjoyed," said Alesi following the official announcement. "Eddie launched me into Formula One so to race for him after all this time is something very special. Although I will not be able to test the car before racing in Hungary, I feel so motivated that I don't believe this will be a problem."

"I am delighted that Jean is joining us again," said Eddie Jordan. "His experience will be invaluable to us but equally important will be his energy and enthusiasm.

"He is a great motivator and will drive the Jordan with a real fire in his belly so we now have a charismatic and vibrant pairing which we hope will be translated into powerful results on the track."

"It is essential to preserve our team's serenity in this moment when we are building up Prost Grand Prix's future and consolidating our strategy for the upcoming years," Alain Prost said today. "This is why I chose to release Jean.

"I am delighted to welcome Heinz-Harald Frentzen in our team. His achievements in the last few years place him among the best drivers, and his large experience within top Formula One teams will be a strong asset for us for the remainder of the 2001 season. His arrival allows us to prepare the team’s future with confidence."

Frentzen himself said: "I am happy that Alain Prost offered me to drive for the last five Grands Prix. It was very difficult to turn down the opportunity to tackle this new challenge and I am looking forward to support the team for the rest of the season. "