Introduced halfway through the 1991 season, the beautiful Ferrari 643 was designed by Steve Nichols and Jean-Claude Migeot for the driver pairing of Alain Prost and his exciting young team-mate, Jean Alesi. Its predecessor was the short-lived 642, and while the 643 carried over that car’s 3,499-cc V-12, the carbon fibre-composite monocoque was heavily revised. The engine produced 710 horsepower at a screaming 13,800 rpm and drove through a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox—technology that Ferrari had pioneered two years earlier.

The 643 made its debut in the French Grand Prix in July 1991, and chassis number 127 was entrusted to Alesi. Born in France to Sicilian parents, Alesi had caused a sensation when he arrived in Formula 1 in 1989, and his giant-killing performances in the nimble Tyrrell soon brought him to the attention of the big teams. Alesi had already agreed terms with Frank Williams by the time that Ferrari came calling, but when negotiations with Frank started to drag on, he duly signed with the Scuderia for 1991. The tifosi came to adore his hard-charging style in the car and his emotional character out of it.