Philippe Alliot Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Philippe Alliot
Alliot driving the Ligier JS33B at the 1990 United States Grand Prix
Born	Philippe René Gabriel Alliot (1954-07-27) 27 July 1954 (age 70) 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 27 July 1954) is a French former racing driver and sports commentator. He competed in Formula One, which is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars, from 1984 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1994.

Born in Voves, France, Alliot first studied political science. However, he soon left university to follow his dream of becoming a racing driver. He took part in 116 Formula One Grands Prix races over nine seasons. He drove for teams like RAM, Ligier, Larrousse, and McLaren. Alliot also raced in the World Sportscar Championship, winning three races. He finished third in the championship in 1991 and 1992 with the Peugeot team. He also competed in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race 10 times, finishing third three times (in 1983, 1992, and 1993).

Early Racing Days
Formula One Career
Success in Sportscars
Back to Formula One
Life After Racing
Images for kids
See also

Early Racing Days

Philippe Alliot was born on July 27, 1954, in Voves, France. He started studying politics, but his passion for racing led him to the Motul Racing School.

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 and then the European Formula 3 Championship in 1980. By 1983, he was racing in Formula Two. That same year, he achieved a big success by finishing third in the Le Mans 24 Hours race with famous drivers Michael and Mario Andretti.

Formula One Career

Alliot during practice for the 1985 European Grand Prix

In 1984, Alliot joined the RAM F1 team. He didn't have much success there at first. In 1986, after another driver was injured, Alliot joined the Ligier team and started to show improvement. He moved to Larrousse in 1987. He later returned to Ligier in 1990. During his time in Formula One, he became known for sometimes having accidents. He holds a record for the most race starts without ever finishing a race on the same lap as the winner.

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 led by Jean Todt. This included finishing third in the 1992 and 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans races.

Back to Formula One

Alliot returned to Formula One with the Larrousse team in 1993. He achieved his best-ever F1 finish, coming in fifth place at the San Marino Grand Prix. The next year, he became a test driver for the McLaren team because of his connection with Peugeot engines. This led to him racing for McLaren at the 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix as a replacement driver. He started 14th but had to stop the race early. Alliot then raced for Larrousse at 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 with the most race starts who had never achieved a podium finish (top three), a pole position (starting first), or the fastest lap in a race.

Life After Racing

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