Ousted from the OL, Jean-Michel Aulas has also worked in motorsport

Alain Prost’s Sponsor

Today primarily known as the face behind Olympique Lyonnais, the 7th most successful football club in the French championship, Jean-Michel Aulas first made his fortune in the field of computer science. It was in 1983 that he created CEGID, a company specialized in designing management software for businesses. The logo of this Rhodanian company may not be unfamiliar to certain Formula 1 fans from the late 80s. Indeed, from 1987 to 1992, these five letters appeared on the helmet of Alain Prost. The Frenchman, then at the pinnacle of the premier category of motorsport, was a very interesting figure for displaying advertisements.

It’s amusing to know that in a parallel reality, Alain Prost and Jean-Michel Aulas would have been great rivals. After his career in motorsport, Alain Prost was indeed offered the presidency of AS Saint-Etienne, but the four-time world champion declined because he was already leading his own Formula 1 team, Prost GP.

The Superleague Formula

At the beginning of 2008, the idea of bringing together the greatest football clubs in a car racing championship emerged. Each participating team would be represented by the colors of a football club. Jean-Michel Aulas was interested in the project and decided to register Olympique Lyonnais. At that time, the Gones were reigning over French football with an iron fist, and it seemed logical to take advantage of the excitement surrounding the team to conquer new territories. Unfortunately for OL, motor racing would not bring as many trophies as football.

The club joined the Superleague Formula in 2009, for its second season in this competition. While most teams fielded two drivers, Olympique Lyonnais had only one representative, Nelson Panciatici. His presence in the Superleague was actually more due to his connections with the car’s preparer for OL, Barazi-Epsilon, than his results in championships. He had never shone in Formula Renault 2.0. His highest achievement was finishing second in the Spanish Formula 3 in 2008. The club finished 17th in the championship (out of 19 registered teams).

To turn things around, Jean-Michel Aulas decides to enlist the services of Sébastien Bourdais. The latter had everything the Lyon club could dream of. The Le Mans native had already driven Champ Cars across the Atlantic. These single-seaters had a chassis similar to the one used in the Superleague Formula, and he had experience at the highest level with two seasons at Toro Rosso in Formula 1. Furthermore, he had also achieved remarkable feats for the Sevilla team, securing 6 podium finishes, including 2 victories. However, despite a victory in the national colors of France (white, blue, red), OL did not achieve the expected results and abandoned the Superleague Formula project one year before the championship closed, as it was facing significant financial difficulties.

With the explosion in popularity of Formula 1 since its acquisition by Liberty Media, it wouldn’t be impossible to see even more connections between soccer investors and big engines in the near future. This has already occurred in recent years with the transfer of Maurizio Arrivabene from Ferrari’s director to Juventus Turin. Many football players are also VIP guests of Formula 1 teams, and we have notably seen Alpine deliver the Ballon d’Or during the Ballon d’Or ceremony for the past two years.