That's why I will quit Sauber

First I would like to apologize and thank all my many faithful fans and the mad Sauber mechanics.
For them my decision to leave the Swiss team at the end of this season surely an unpleasant surprise. And some other people are now surly glad that I go. They have a future in Hinwill or Sonstwo with some lesser pressure...

But no fear, I do not use this column I order to set the score even with certain team members.

It is very important for me to say that I admire and respect Peter Sauber.
Unfortunately the organization did not bring me what I expected from them.

The decision to not sit in the Sauber for the 2000 season was not only a result of what happened in Budapest. But last Tuesday! Even if I exploded after the mysterious engine problems in Hungary and just left the cockpit!
I drove to Hinwill a week ago in order to inform me about the prospects of the technical future. The new aerodynamic sections had not been able to convince me at the test at Mugello.
After the discussion last Tuesday with Peter Sauber and the cheif operating officer, Jost Capito I did not see any perspectives for the future.

Peter Sauber wanted an answer from me in Hinwil, but I said that I would like to think it over to the next day. But when I left the factory in Hinwil my decision was already made. Because the technical side at Sauber is hardly moving forward. And I have always tried to bring the team forward with my performance. Tim Preston a very good racing engineer, who also pressured the team, was recently fired.

On Thursday when I met Peter Sauber again we of course didn't have to speak about a future together any longer.
A few hours before the race I indicated my decision to Bernie Ecclestone! The Formula 1 chef was not surprised and only said: "I am always behind you!" Those words did well.

I started the race high-motivated as always, even if my my right leg was hurting after my accident on Saturday.

But there is not a Jean Alesi without a fighter heart. And if you always dances at the limit as I do, it hurts.

That is why I cannot accept these stupid failures and problems any longer. It is so frustrating to here after each race, like now in Budapest, :With a bad car one cannot bring such performances. But where are the championship-points ? I have made some errors of my own, however you can not change the situation by yourself.

In one weeks time I will know where I will be driving the 2000 season. With Prost, Jordan or in the CART series. I have proved with Sauber that I still is fully competitive and I believe that I still has three more good years in racing in front of me.
What Sauber want's to do I don't know. They should try to hold on to Pedro Diniz, he risked much in Budapest when he got in front of me in the start. Therefore I understand Pedros reaction that he was sour later when he got the order from the team to let me pass.
I won't participate in this weeks three days of testing at Silverstone, I want to cure my leg, so that I can attack fully in Spa.  

This article is written by Jean Alesi for Blick©