Jean Alesi may have misjudged Ferrari before, but this time he believes they finally have a \u201creal\u201d contender.<\/p>\n
Despite claiming a solitary win during his five seasons with Ferrari, French racer Alesi was a fan favourite amongst the Tifosi. And one they have continued to exalt.<\/p>\n
Jean Alesi praises Ferrari \u2018real\u2019 Formula 1 car start<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n As such Alesi\u2019s predictions about Ferrari<\/a>, and how its season could pan out, has been taken as fact with fans pinning their hopes on his words.<\/p>\n But it hasn\u2019t always been right.<\/p>\n In fact, with no championship silverware since 2008, Alesi\u2019s predictions have often been very, very wrong.<\/p>\n The Frenchman admits this.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the beginning, I suffered because I said we had found something,\u201d Alesi told Racing365News<\/a>. \u201cAt the end of the season, when they asked me how the Ferrari year had gone.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, a catastrophe. It was a catastrophe, but I didn\u2019t say anything wrong. I just told the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, though, he\u2019s confident in his confidence.<\/p>\n F1 2026: The season\u2019s winners and losers<\/p>\n The results of the F1 2026 championship <\/a><\/p>\n The F1 2026 Drivers\u2019 and Constructors\u2019 Championship standings<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I am now very satisfied with the way they start the season, because they started with a real Ferrari car. I am very impressed,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n Ferrari is currently second in the Constructors\u2019 Championship, the team\u2019s three grands prix podiums adding to its tally of 90 points.<\/p>\n That is, however, 45 behind Mercedes, who won all three of the grands prix and the opening Sprint in China.<\/p>\n Although the Ferrari is able to attack Mercedes W17 off the line with its alleged smaller turbo, as soon as Mercedes car break the one-second overtake barrier, Ferrari cannot keep up with its pace.<\/p>\n Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc has managed two podiums this season, with Lewis Hamilton bagging his first in red at the Chinese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Alesi has warned against writing off the seven-time world champion even though he trails both Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, as well as his own teammate.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely,\u201d says Alesi. \u201cHe has won seven world titles. It\u2019s still fine for him to be part of the development of a big project, even if it\u2019s difficult. The season is still very young and he always feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Italian press criticised him at one point, and that was not justified, but again we saw in China and Melbourne that he is there, you know. <\/p>\n \u201cCharles is Charles. Charles is highly regarded in my eyes as a driver. Max and Charles are the top for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Ferrari and Red Bull may be assisted in their battle against Mercedes by Formula 1\u2019s engine Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, which is expected to come into play after Miami.<\/p>\n If they are deemed to be lacking to the Mercedes PU, they will be given scope to develop the power unit to close the gap. \u201cIt\u2019s all about the development of the car, which is now better than most other cars, but a little less than Mercedes. But they have competitors like McLaren, who have the same engine as Mercedes and have won the championship in the last two years. So it will be a difficult battle in development. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd don\u2019t forget Red Bull. They have Max Verstappen\u2026 and Max is Max!\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long championship,\u201d said Alesi.<\/p>\n