Race of my life: When a starring wet-weather drive went unrewarded for Alesi
Jean Alesi put on one of the most astounding performances of his career during the 1995 Japanese GP. As it was often the case for Alesi, he was left unrewarded, but he still regards it as the race of his life
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, October 29 1995
"In my Formula 1 career there were many races I should have won but didn't, so it's quite correct that one I failed to finish was the race of my life!
"I qualified second to Michael Schumacher and it was raining on race day. Before the start, I went to the race director and said, 'The startline is downhill, and we don't have a handbrake, so how can I avoid a penalty if my car moves?' He said, 'As long as you line up behind the line, even if your car moves a little bit, as long as you don't improve position it's fine.'"
Michael Schumacher, Benetton B195 leads Jean Alesi, Ferrari 412T2, Mika Hakkinen, McLaren MP4-10B
Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images
"So, at the start, my car was moving a little and I did not improve my position. And not only did I get a penalty, my team-mate Gerhard Berger did too! I was totally fed up with that decision. So I had to stop for a 10-second stop-go penalty, and dropped to 10th. I did one lap and then got on the radio: 'I want slicks.' Although it was still quite wet, I was passing everyone - I even overtook Johnny Herbert down the inside at 130R on my in-lap before putting on the slicks.
"It wasn't without drama: I had a couple of 360s on the straight! On one lap, Pedro Lamy pushed me onto the grass exiting the chicane. Watch it on YouTube, I had the onboard camera - it's amazing!
"People say that I'm special in the wet, in those conditions with slicks, but all I gave was my maximum. Perhaps it's my driving style that explores the limit of the tyres, and keeps the heat in them more than everyone else. I'm not scared to lose control of the car.
"By lap nine I'd moved up from 15th to ninth, and was lapping five seconds per lap faster than everyone else - including Michael, who was still on wets. A lap later I was sixth. Then I passed Damon Hill around the outside of the chicane."
Michael Schumacher, Benetton B195 leads Jean Alesi, Ferrari 412T2
Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images
"By lap 12 I was back in second, just a few seconds behind Michael, who had pitted by now, and I was setting fastest lap after fastest lap. I could almost hear him as he looked in his mirrors: 'What is he doing there? I thought he had a penalty'.
"I was having a great time, but it wasn't to be my day again. The driveshaft broke, and all the oil came out of the differential.
"It had been fun while it lasted."
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