Burti's early career saw him graduate through the usual channels and he found himself in British Formula 3 driving for the crack Stewart Racing team.

In his second season of F3 in 1999 he finished runner-up to Marc Hynes, but it was third-placed Jenson Button who would go on to achieve stardom in Formula One.

Burti raced competently for Prost and recorded his highest finish - eighth place - at the Canadian Grand Prix; he also occasionally qualified ahead of his highly experienced teammate Jean Alesi.

However, his most notable moment in the first half of the season was an accident at the German Grand Prix - unable to avoid the slowing Ferrari of Michael Schumacher, whose gearbox had failed seconds after the race start, Burti struck the back of Schumacher's car, launching his Prost into a destructive cartwheel over the Arrows of Enrique Bernoldi.

Two races later he had a more serious crash at the Belgian Grand Prix when his car touched with Eddie Irvine as he attempted to overtake the Northern Irishman.