Alesi to race 1974 F1 Ferrari in Monaco
Jean Alesi is poised to join fellow ex-ferrari Formula 1 driver Rene Arnoux in racing a 1974-spec Ferrari 312B3 in the Monaco Grand Prix Historique event in April.
Arnoux was scheduled to contest the event in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic led to its postponement, and the delay has allowed German entrant Methusalem Racing to get Alesi in a car too. The duo will take part in the Serie F event, for three-litre F1 cars from the 1973-76 era.
The 312B3 was originally raced during the 1974 season by Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni, and it was the pacesetter for much of the year. Lauda scored his first F1 win at Jarama and triumphed again at Zandvoort, while also logging nine pole positions, including in Monaco. Regazzoni scored his only win of the year at the
Nurburgring, but the Swiss remained in title contention until the final race.
Also scheduled to be in the Serie F field is former F1 driver Alex Caffi, at the wheel of a 1976 Ensign N176, while 2012 Spanish GP winner Pastor Maldonado will drive a 1937 Maserati 4CM in the Serie A race for pre-war cars. Like Arnoux and Caffi, the Venezuelan was entered in 2020 and has had to wait for his chance to take part.
The Automobile Club de Monaco says that, despite the pandemic, it has received 170 entries for its seven historic races over the 23-25 April meeting.
The 70th anniversary of F1 could not be commemorated last year at the event, and the focus will now be a celebration of 70 years since Ferrari’s first world championship race victory, achieved by Froilan Gonzalez at Silverstone in 1951.
The ACM has revealed that construction of the circuit for its historic, Formula 1 and Formula E events will begin this week.