Born in France of Sicilian parents, Jean was viewed as an outsider until he started to shine in the junior formulae, and only then was he considered a Frenchman. Running with next to no sponsorship, he starred in the 1986 French Formula Three Championship, finishing second to Yannick Dalmas. He went one better in 1987 before moving up to Formula 3000 in 1988. Halfway through his second year in this category, a vacancy came up at Tyrrell for the French Grand Prix and team boss Eddie Jordan propelled Jean into the seat. Jean responded in style, taking fourth place. In the first race of 1990, Jean swapped the lead with Ayrton Senna's McLaren, finishing second. Another second came at Monaco. Jean joined Ferrari in 1991, and, despite endless promise, it was not until the Canadian Grand Prix in 1995 that he finally won. He should also have won in Italy, and drove a belter in the wet at the Nurburgring. Jean moved to Benetton in 1996 and had his best ever year, finishing fourth overall, despite not winning a race, then staying on for 1997 before joining Sauber for 1998. A spell with Prost in 2000 was added to by a mid-season switch to Jordan in 2001, after which he left Formula One to race for Mercedes in German touring cars with great effect.

Reproduced from The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Formula One published by Carlton Books