Jean Alesi and the last V12 win in F1

Frenchman Jean Alesi’s solitary victory, in a Ferrari 412 T2 at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix, was to be the final hurrah for Formula 1’s V12 era

IN AN ERA WHERE THE MONOTONE, SYNTHETIC drone of the hybridised small-capacity V6 defines Formula 1’s soundtrack, it’s not uncommon for fans of F1 to reminisce about the previous 2.4-litre, naturally aspirated V8 screamers. Yet I think it’s fair to say those little torque-lite motors had nothing on the larger ten- and 12-cylinder engines that powered the sport, along with the trusty V8s of course, between 1989 and 2005. These were engines with unique voices, shattering exhaust notes and a very real physical projection of power. And none more so than Ferrari’s V12.

When F1’s first turbo epoch came to a close at the end of 1988, Ferrari reverted to its beloved V12 configuration as it has so many times across all forms of motorsport, and the shrill, operatic note once again became a feature of Grand Prix weekends.

After a dismal 1993, 1994 had been a year of improvement for the Scuderia, with Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger finishing 5th and 3rd respectively. Just as Ferrari’s road cars were being transformed – think 456 GT, F355 and, later, 550M – under new boss but old hand and Ferrari legend Luca di Montezemolo, so the F1 team, under LDM’s chosen man, Jean Todt, were also on the march. But 1995 was to be a year of significant change in F1, following the tragic deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and then Ayrton Senna at Imola the previous year. A number of rule changes were introduced to slow the cars and make the sport safer, including a contraction in engine displacement from 3.5 to 3 litres as well as a reduction in downforce.