Watching his son put in his first, and perhaps last, laps in a Ferrari F1 car, former Scuderia Ferrari driver Jean Alesi was left to rue the state of Formula 1 and the need to be a “billionaire” to race.
Giuliano Alesi said farewell to the Ferrari Driver Academy on Monday as he took part in a test with the Scuderia, driving a three-year-old SF71H at the Fiorano circuit.
It was his Ferrari debut, and also likely be his very last laps in a Ferrari F1 car.
The 21-year-old is heading to Japan this season, walking away from Formula 2 after failing to come up with the finances needed to secure a drive.
It is, his father feels, a damning indictment on today’s path to Formula 1.
“He will race almost every weekend [in Japan], which is not possible in Europe anymore unless you pay a lot of money,” Grandpx.news quotes Alesi Snr told Gazzetta dello Sport – “Nowadays you have to be a billionaire and buy a team, otherwise you will not end up in the Formula 1 world. The seats are blocked by the drivers of Vasseur and Wolff. Fortunately there is Ferrari, who supply engines to some F1 teams so they can also supply drivers. Mick Schumacher got his seat in Formula 1 also with his Formula 2 title, but without the support of Maranello it would not have been possible.” – he concluded.
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