JESSE ALEXANDER
In 1953 Jesse Alexander left America for Europe with his young family to pursue his dream of becoming a motor racing photographer. In the next few years he became especially close to Ferrari, developing friendships with some of the teams most illustrious drivers, particularly fellow Americans such as Dan Gurney, Richie Ginther, and Phil Hill, who won the World Championship driving for Ferrari in 1961.
The 100 black-and-white and color photos assembled here vividly depict an era of great change and growing challenges to Ferrari in Formula 1. After scoring two championships in 1952 and 1953, Ferrari faced formidable competition from Mercedes-Benz in 1954, followed by a host of new British teams in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Along with his skill as a photographer and enthusiasm for racing, Alexanders close relationships to many members of the extended Ferrari family gave him a unique perspective on the team, the cars and especially the drivers. His pictures dont just capture racing highlights at classic venues like Monaco, Monza, and the Nürburgringthey also offer a more intimate, behind-the-scenes view of the Ferrari team at its headquarters and testing ground in Modena. In these pictures we find Enzo Ferrari himself conferring with drivers and engineers as he supervises winter tests of his latest, still-unpainted GP cars. We also get a rare glimpse of the managers, mechanics and engineers as they debrief drivers and make adjustments and repairs.
In Ferrari Grand Prix Moments Jesse Alexander delivers a unique perspective on the people, places and events that made the 1950s and 1960s a defining period in the history of the marque that more than any other has come to define Grand Prix racing.
