I'm proud of him.

"I am very, very excited about Sato," added the Irishman looking forward to 2002. "Ferrari is too strong at the moment and Jarno (Trulli) is going to another team. So it's time for us to restructure," he said, citing that this was the reason why he signed youth of Sato rather than the experience of Alesi.

"My heart was saying one thing, but the long-term view of the team was saying another," he said adding that it was one of the hardest decisions he had ever to make. He said that Alesi understood his reasoning. “It was not as if he wasn't being accepted for his talent. He knew why we were making a strategic decision instead of a short-term one.”

"In a way it again goes to prove that Jean has often been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I asked him very earnestly to join us two or three years ago...I'm just pleased he did come back to drive for us."

Jordan said he was happy he had at least fulfilled his ambition of putting Alesi in one of his Formula One cars and emphasized the strength of their friendship. "It's easy to love Jean...I have never seen any badness in him. He lived with us, in our home and with our children," he said.
"This is a very sad moment but I think it is a good one and I am proud he has driven for us, and I am proud that he got points for us, too," added Jordan.