Watch and learn - Alain Prost

Alain Marie Pascal Prost was born on February 24, 1955, Saint Chamond, France. Alain was a busy little boy with lots of energy that more than made up for any problems he might have had in terms of physical height (1.65). He practiced wrestling, roller skating and played football with such intensity that his nose was broken several times. Athletically inclined, he thought about becoming a gym instructor or using his ability at soccer in a professional career. Instead, his passion turned to kart racing after he discovered it at the age of 14 on a family holiday in the south of France. What began as fun quickly became an obsession and he won several karting championships. In 1974 he left school to become a full-time racer, supporting himself by tuning engines and a becoming a kart distributor.

Alain Prost discovered karting at the age of 14 and went on to become a professional racer

He won the 1975 French senior karting championship and his prize was a season in Formula Renault, a category in which he went on to win two driving titles before moving to Formula Three. In 1978 and 1979 he won both the French and European F3 championships, by that time, he was on the shopping lists of several Formula One teams. After much consideration, he chose to sign with McLaren for 1980.

After a brief participation in Formula Renault, Prost moved to F3 and won two championships in a row

In his first Formula One season he finished in the points four times but also had several accidents, breaking his wrist in one of them and suffering a concussion in another. Some of his crashes were caused by worrying mechanical failures and Alain also had misgivings about the way the McLaren team was run. He chose to break his two-year contract and signed with Renault.

Not feeling confortable with the team, Prost left McLaren and signed with Renault

With Renault and in the middle of the ‘Turbo Era’, he achieved his first ever Formula One victory at home soil: a French driver in a French car in the 1981 French Grand Prix at Dijon. Something that hadn’t been seen since Jean Pierre Jabouille managed the same in 1979. For Alain the momentous occasion that marked the beginning of his winning ways was memorable mostly for the change it made in his mindset.

"Before, you thought you could do it, Now you know you can." - Alain Prost

The victories kept coming - he had nine during his three seasons with Renault, but found himself increasingly at odds with the team’s management, who made him the scapegoat for failing to win a championship. The French fans preferred the homely appeal of his team mate Rene Arnoux, with whom Prost had a running dispute. Fed up with it all, Alain moved his wife Anne-Marie and their son Nicolas to Switzerland and went racing again with the British-based McLaren team in 1984.

With Renault he achieved his first victory, however, he returned to McLaren in 1984

By 1984, the McLarens of Prost and Lauda won 12 out of the 16 races of the season. It was also the year in which Prost could have won his first world championship, however destiny chose something else. He finished second in the championship by the smallest point difference ever seen in the series. (0.5 points) It wasn’t until 1985, that Prost finally won the championship. He did the same the next year, in a drama filled Australian GP. The Williams-Honda team with Mansell and Piquet had won the constructors championship, however, the drivers championship was still in dispute. Mansell had to retire due to a puncture, letting Piquet take the lead. Piquet had to pit some laps later, Prost took the lead and had to abandon his iconic, perfection inclined driving style to hold the hard chasing Piquet. He went on to win the race, his car ran out of fuel during the cool down lap. Not giving the slightest damn, Prost got out of the car to celebrate his newly achieved title.

Prost won his second title in 1986, meters after the finish line, his car ran out of fuel

1987 was the year in which Williams finally proved superior, they won both constructors and drivers championships. The next year, 1988, McLaren had the brilliant idea of using Honda engines. They offered the Japanese manufacturer a contract. Honda inmediately ditched Williams to supply McLaren. Without knowing it, the team from Woking had assembled the best team F1 had ever seen. Prost continued to deliver victories, however, his new team mate Ayrton Senna won eight races and the driving title. Thus began the sensational rivalry that conspired to push two of the sport’s greatest drivers to unprecedented heights of success and controversy.

Prost lost the 1988 championship to his team mate Ayrton Senna

McLaren’s domination continued throughout 1989 and the Prost-Senna battle for supremacy placed them on a collision course. Mutual admiration turned to real hatred, with the Frenchman accusing his Brazilian team mate of dangerous driving and of receiving more than a fair share of attention from both McLaren and Honda. Their embittered season ended in a controversial clash in the chicane at Suzuka. Senna said that Prost closed in front of him, however, Prost said that the Brazilian didn’t turn. Prost retired while Senna re-started his car and continued the race. He was penalized later in the race for a dangerous rejoin to the track, giving the title to Prost. The next year, the Frenchman joined Ferrari.

In his first year with Ferrari, Prost won five races and again came to the 1990 season finale in Japan with only his McLaren adversary capable of depriving him of the championship. Senna did just that, taking his second driving title by deliberately driving into the Ferrari at Suzuka, getting both cars retired. Critics said that Senna crashed intentionally to win the title.
“What he did was disgusting,” Prost said. “He is a man without value.”

By 1991, Ferrari fell of the pace for the first time in years. Prost, that on every championship since 1980 had won at least one race, would win none in the season. Prost heavily critisized his Ferrari publicly, the Maranello team didn’t like that, and Alain was fired.

After 2 years with the team, Ferrari fired Alain

By 1992, Prost had no team to race with. He was offered a deal with Ligier but he decieded to reject it. Instead, he took a break from driving and started comentating races. The next year, Williams got him back to racing. Driving one of the most technologically advanced cars ever to race in F1, the FW15C. With the Renault powered car, Prost won his last world championship, becoming the first F1 driver to win 4 championships. On his last race, Prost and Senna made peace at last.

Senna and Prost on their last podium together in Adelaide.

Prost retired in 1993 after winning his 4th world title

But he wasn’t yet finished playing the game. He went back to TV commentating and worked as an advisor and test driver for McLaren, before buying the Ligier team in 1997 and renaming it Prost Grand Prix. Due to political and financial problems the team was an embarrassment for the four-time champion, who closed up shop at the end of 2001.

In 2007, 2008, and 2012, Prost won the Andros Trophey, in the French championship for driving on ice.

In 2014 he founded the E.DAMS-Renault Formula E team, which has won both of the seasons disputed until now.

In 2016, McLaren released a special edition of the P1 designed after his helmet, and named 'The Professor Edition' in his honor

He really is, one of F1's best

To really go fast, you must brake one second after fear tells you to, and accelerate one second before what logic dictates - Alain Prost

So guys that was the story of Alain Prost, my favorite F1 driver. I hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Tell me, what is your opinion on Prost? do you like him or not?
leave your answers in the comments :)

So guys that is the end of this article, if you’ve read until this point then thank you very much and I hope you liked it. Tell me, what other driver would you like me to talk about and maybe I will on my next article.

That all guys
F1Trooper out