STORY OF THE DAY: Alesi rewards Monza with Ferrari’s home podium

Jean Alesi finished second for Ferrari in the 1993 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, round 13 of the Formula One World Championship. Damon Hill won for Williams-Renault after teammate Alain Prost retired from the lead with an engine failure near the finish. Michael Andretti placed third for McLaren-Ford, while Alesi delivered Ferrari its best result of the season before an expectant home crowd.

Alesi made a sharp start and moved ahead of Hill, running near the front during the opening laps. Hill recovered from contact with Ayrton Senna and passed the Ferrari for third, later inheriting second when Michael Schumacher retired and the victory when Prost’s engine failed. Alesi avoided the surrounding attrition and brought the car home securely, converting persistence into a valuable second place.

The F93A used Ferrari’s naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V12 with a semi-automatic transmission and active suspension, then an important area of Formula One development. The car was more conventional than the unsuccessful F92A but remained heavy and difficult to balance. Its speed was insufficient for regular victories, making reliability and disciplined execution essential to this Monza result.

Frenchman Jean Alesi, the son of Sicilian immigrants, arrived at Ferrari in 1991 after attracting attention with spirited drives for Tyrrell. His attacking style and visible devotion to the marque made him especially popular with the Italian public. Second place at Monza in 1993 captured that relationship: it was not a victory, but it gave Ferrari and its supporters a rare moment of satisfaction in a lean season.