Jean Alesi has joined Lotus Cars as an ambassador and a test driver for its T125 single-seater project (shown at left). The T125 will be a non-street legal car designed to offer near-Formula 1 performance for track day use.
"I'm delighted to be partnering with Lotus, I have a lot of affection for this great British brand and I'm confident that they will achieve great things in the future both on and off the racetrack," said Alesi. "I'm particularly passionate about anything that brings people closer to the racing action and the Type 125 does exactly that. It's the ultimate race experience and I'm really looking forward to testing in Vallelunga and Abu Dhabi."
"Jean has been a good friend for many years," said Lotus' director of corporate operations Gino Rosato. "I have had the privilege of working with him in the past and I really respect and admire the way he operates.
"With his F1 background, connections and contacts, I think he brings a lot to the table and we're really looking forward to working with him. We think he'll make the prefect Lotus brand ambassador."
Alesi contested 202 grands prix between 1989 and 2001, and won the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix for Ferrari. He has raced in various other disciplines since retiring from F1, and spent last season as part of Ferrari's GT2 program with the AF Corse team.