SJean Alesi has been back behind the wheel of a Ferrari on the Fiorano circuit once again, this time a test at the wheel of an F430 GT which was successful and looks set to see the Frenchman reunited with the Prancing Horse again.

Jean Alesi has been back behind the wheel of a Ferrari on the Fiorano circuit. It was a proper test, at the wheel of an AF Corse Ferrari F430GT keeping the promise made to the French driver on the occasion of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and evaluating, through the direct contact with the car, a possible employment in the international Gran Turismo Championships in the near future.

After the test, which ended earlier than planned and after 65 laps, and afterwards Alesi was enthusiastic: “I feel as if I was young again, like at the start of my career, when I still had to demonstrate my ability. It was an unbelievable emotion to get back on the track and I immediately gained confidence with the car, really phenomenal!”

1995 - Alesi’s last season as an official driver of the Scuderia Ferrari in Formula 1 - didn’t seem so long ago, when he got behind the wheel of the F430 GT2 made available by Amato Ferrari’s AF Corse. Ferrari, impressed by Alesi, who was immediately able to drive the same lap times as the best drivers in his category, said: “We didn’t need to use a slot in the afternoon’s programme thanks to Jean’s exceptional performance in a test, where we just had to adjust the driver’s position in the car and refuel; no mechanical modifications were necessary. That’s why we are extremely optimistic as far as a possible involvement of Jean in our 2010 programme is concerned.”

Alesi arrived in F1 in twenty years ago when he sealed a move to F1 mid-season the next year with Tyrell, where he announced his arrival in the top flight no uncertain terms with fourth place on his debut in his home French Grand Prix. However at the end of the next season, again with the Tyrell team, Alesi snubbed Williams with whom he had signed a pre-contract letting his heart rule his decision as he signed for Ferrari in 1991, the start of five seasons with the Scuderia where he became beloved of the tifosi. His arrival in Maranello, where he lined up alongside his French compatriot Alain Prost, also marked the start of a sharp downturn in the team's fortunes. Alesi's first year at Ferrari, behind the wheel of the V12-engined 642/2 and 643 cars netted three visits to the podium and it was a position Alesi repeated the next year with the F92A, but this time with two podium visits and 18 points.

In 1993 his famous partnership at Ferrari with Austrian star Gerhard Berger kicked off and with the F93A he went up one notch to finish sixth in the championship, with 16 points. His penultimate season at Maranello netted four podiums and fifth place in the championship with 24 points, driving the 412T1. In 1995, the final year of his contract with Ferrari he had his best year with the Italian team, and with the 412T2 he collected 42 points that left him fifth in the championship, and along the way he etched his name into the role call of red winners by taking victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, one of five visits to the podium he made that year. Released by Ferrari at the end of that year he went on to drive for the Benetton team, while stints at Sauber, Prost and Jordan followed before his F1 career came to an end at the end of the 2001 season after 201 races and having collected 242 points.