Philippe Alliot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Philippe Alliot
Alliot in 1993
Born	Philippe René Gabriel Alliot (1954-07-27) 27 July 1954 (age 71) Voves, Eure-et-Loir, France
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	French
Active years	1984–1990, 1993–1994
Teams	RAM, Ligier, Larrousse, McLaren
Entries	116 (109 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	7
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last entry	1994 Belgian Grand Prix
World Sportscar Championship career
Years active	1981–1983, 1986, 1991–1992
Teams	BMW, Ford, Rondeau, Porsche, Peugeot
Starts	21
Championships	0
Wins	3
Podiums	8
Poles	3
Fastest laps	3
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1981, 1983, 1986, 1990–1993, 1995–1996, 2003
Teams	BMW, Porsche, Peugeot, Gulf, Courage
Best finish	3rd (1983, 1992, 1993)
Class wins	0

Philippe René Gabriel Alliot (born July 27, 1954) is a French former racing driver. He also worked as a sports broadcaster. Philippe competed in Formula One races from 1984 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1994.

He was born and grew up in Voves, France. Alliot first studied political science, which is about how governments work. But he left university to follow his dream of becoming a racing driver. He took part in 116 Formula One Grands Prix over nine seasons. He raced for teams like RAM, Ligier, Larrousse, and McLaren.

Philippe also raced in the World Sportscar Championship sometimes. He won three races out of 21 starts. He finished third in the championship in 1991 and 1992 with the Peugeot team. He also entered the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race 10 times. He finished third in this tough endurance race in 1983, 1992, and 1993.

Early Racing Days

Philippe René Gabriel Alliot was born on July 27, 1954, in Voves, France. He started studying political science, but soon decided to become a racing driver instead. He joined the Motul Racing School at the Circuit de Nogaro.

Before joining Formula One, he raced in Formula Renault in 1976 and 1977. He won the championship in 1978 with the BP Racing team. After that, he moved on to French Formula Three. He finished third in his very first race there. In 1980, he started racing in the European Formula 3 Championship. By 1983, he was racing in Formula Two. That same year, he made headlines by finishing third in the Le Mans 24 Hours race. He raced with Michael and Mario Andretti in a Porsche car.

Formula One Adventures

Alliot during practice for the 1985 European Grand Prix

In 1984, Alliot joined the Skoal Bandit RAM F1 team. However, he didn't have much success with them. After another driver, Jacques Laffite, was injured in 1986, Alliot took his place at Ligier. Here, he started to show improvement in his racing.

He then moved to Larrousse for the 1987 season. He returned to Ligier in 1990. During this time, he became known for having a few accidents on the track. He holds a record for having the most race starts without ever finishing a race on the same lap as the winner.

Alliot driving the Ligier JS33B at the 1990 United States Grand Prix

Success in Sportscars

In the early 1990s, Alliot left Formula One to race in sports car racing. He had a lot of success with the Peugeot team, which was managed by Jean Todt. This included finishing third in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in both 1992 and 1993.

Back to Formula One

Alliot tried racing in Formula One again with Larrousse in 1993. He achieved his best-ever Formula One finish, coming in fifth place at the San Marino Grand Prix. In 1994, he didn't have a Formula One team at first. But Peugeot insisted that McLaren, who were using Peugeot engines, hire him as a test and reserve driver.

This led to him racing for McLaren at the 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix. He filled in for Mika Häkkinen, who was suspended. He started the race in 14th place but had to stop early. Alliot then replaced another driver, Olivier Beretta, at Larrousse for the next race, the Belgian Grand Prix. He started 19th but retired due to engine problems. This was his last Formula One race. Philippe Alliot left Formula One as the driver who had started the most races without ever getting a podium finish (top three), a pole position (starting first), or the fastest lap in a race.

Life After Racing

After he stopped racing in Formula One in 1995, Philippe Alliot explored other interests. He tried a career in politics and also worked as a TV commentator for sports. He competed in ice racing and the tough Paris–Dakar Rally. Eventually, he started and ran his own GT racing team.

Racing Highlights

Career Summary

^† As Alliot was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Le Mans 24 Hours Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1981	BMW Italie-France	Johnny Cecotto Bernard Darniche	BMW M1 Gr. 5	Gr. 5 SP +2.0	278	16th	3rd
1983	Porsche Kremer Racing	Mario Andretti Michael Andretti	Porsche 956	C	364	3rd	3rd
1986	John Fitzpatrick Racing	Paco Romero Michel Trollé	Porsche 962C	C1	312	10th	8th
1990	Porsche Kremer Racing	Patrick Gonin Bernard de Dryver	Porsche 962CK6	C1	319	16th	16th
1991	Peugeot Talbot Sport	Mauro Baldi Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Peugeot 905	C1	22	DNF	DNF
1992	Peugeot Talbot Sport	Mauro Baldi Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Peugeot 905 Evo 1B	C1	345	3rd	3rd
1993	Peugeot Talbot Sport	Mauro Baldi Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Peugeot 905 Evo 1B	C1	367	3rd	3rd
1995	GTC Gulf Racing	Pierre-Henri Raphanel Lindsay Owen-Jones	McLaren F1 GTR	GT1	77	DNF	DNF
1996	Courage Compétition	Didier Cottaz Jérôme Policand	Courage C36-Porsche	LMP1	215	DNF	DNF
2003	Courage Compétition	David Hallyday Carl Rosenblad	Courage C65-JPX	LMP675	41	DNF	DNF

See also

In Spanish: Philippe Alliot para niños