Jean Alesi Q&A

The new DTM season gets underway next weekend in Hockenheim, and with a year's experience under his belt Alesi is determined to challenge for the title from the off. Adam Cooper asked him for his thoughts about his own prospects and the F1 season so far.


"Very much, especially the last one."


"No, I don't have that feeling any more! When I'm watching I'm not thinking I should be there. But I'm watching and I enjoy it. I was a bit scared when I saw Alonso sitting on the floor, I thought he had something broken, but fortunately not."


"The most enjoyable thing was my DTM car leading the F1 cars. That was a good time for me!"


"We will do it in DTM. After the first qualifying the 10 best drivers will make the Super Pole with fuel. But for us it won't make any difference! What is good in F1 is it makes the Grand Prix interesting, but I'm a bit sad for the spectators. We are in Italy, there are 90 percent Italian fans, and there will be three minutes of Ferrari in qualifying for 300 euros!"


"I like it is because he doesn't have the car to win the championship, or to win a race, but he won. And that is good for him and it means that motor racing is still full of surprises. What the spectators are waiting for is a surprise. If you see a movie and you know how it's going to finish, it's not so nice."


"Yes, for sure. The feeling is different because I know what DTM is now. I confirmed what I was feeling last year, which is it's a fantastic series. There is a very good competition, and a small gap between the cars, and that is very important in my case.

"I finished my career in F1, and I was looking for something where you don't say, 'Shit, I've signed for the wrong team.' There's no doubt it will not happen. In terms of the competition this year, we are still waiting to be altogether to see what will happen. But I am experienced now in DTM, I know what contact is like during the race, I know what a standing start with a heavy car is like, I know a lot of things.

"I'm waiting for the beginning of the season, and I will be a pain in the arse for the other drivers!"


"I will be strong. How much, I don't know, but I will be strong. Last year I finished third in the first race, without knowing anything. So in terms of competition, I will be OK. But you know how it is. The weekend can be a nightmare, if you make some wrong things, and if can be a dream if you make good things, so I will be very concentrated."


"That is not the problem. In my case the problem is during the weekend I have a lot of press, a lot of fans, and at the end I have not a lot of pressure, but a lot of things to do. Sometimes it makes me tense because I have no time to relax or concentrate. Schneider is not my problem, honestly, because I know what to do, and I will try to do it every race."


"He's been in the DTM a long time, that is true, and he knows the team better than me. But is true is that he doesn't have a better car, no doubt. In AMG we have four cars, and the four are the same. Last year I was team mate with him. This year I'm not going to be in the same garage as Bernd. But that's not the point, because I know how equal the cars are."


"No, because when you show the car for the first race, it's the same for the whole season. You cannot change the wings. So everybody hides a lot of things! But for sure our direct competition is Audi. There is Opel, but we are looking more for Audi."