Prost, Alain

Alain Prost was born on February 24, 1955, near Saint Chamond in the Loire region of central France, where his father Andre manufactured kitchen furnishings. Alain was a busy little boy with a boundless energy that more than made up for any shortcomings he might have in terms of physical height. He threw himself into wrestling, roller skating and playing football with such vigour that his prominent nose was broken several times. Athletically inclined, he thought about becoming a gym instructor or parlaying his proficiency at soccer into a professional career. Instead, his passion turned to kart racing which he discovered at 14 while 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. His prize for winning the 1975 French senior karting championship 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 which time he was on the shopping lists of several Formula One teams. After carefully considering his options he chose to sign with McLaren for 1980.

First Race Jan 13th 1980 Argentine Grand Prix result
Last Race Nov 7th 1993 Australian Grand Prix result
First Pole Aug 2nd 1981 German Grand Prix result
Last Pole Oct 24th 1993 Japanese Grand Prix result
First Win Jul 5th 1981 French Grand Prix result
Last Win Jul 25th 1993 German Grand Prix result
First Podium Apr 12th 1981 Argentine Grand Prix result
Last Podium Nov 7th 1993 Australian Grand Prix result

Alain Prost F1 statistics:
Races 202
Race Starts 199
Drivers’ Titles 4
Victories 51
Poles 33
Podiums 106
Points 798.5
Fastest Laps 41
Laps 10,540

Alain Prost Biography
The Professor, Alain Prost, may not have had the terrific pace of his arch-rival Ayrton Senna, or the relentless consistency of Michael Schumacher, or even the brilliance of Juan Manuel Fangio, but, alongside those three legends, he forms the four greatest drivers to have ever raced in Formula One.

Prost was smooth, clever and fast. The Frenchman held the majority of records, before they were surpassed by Schumacher. An incredible 51 wins and four world championships make him a genius.

Prost changed Formula One in the way he thought. He used to mind to win. He was smarter and more intelligent than any other driver on the grid. His nickname, ‘The Professor’, pays testament to that.

Along with his sharp mind, Prost will be remembered for his rivalry with Senna. The two greatest drivers of their era fought bitterly over world championships during the late 80’s. The levels of petulance have seldom been seen but neither has the drama and brilliance that they created. They spurred each other on. Prost wouldn’t be as great as he was without Senna. The same can be said of the Brazilian hero.

Senna wasn’t the only world class driver that Prost fought against and conquered. The 1980’s may have been F1’s finest era. True greats such as Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell and Niki Lauda also raced. They all won titles but none matched the four won by Prost. He was a hero, a gentlemen and a pioneer.

Born in the town of Saint-Chamond, near the city of Saint-Etienne, Prost was a late arrival into Motor Sport. Whereas many professional drivers start go-karting at a young age, Prost didn’t catch the bug until he was 14. However, his talent was polished quickly. After several karting championships he joined French Formula Renault, where he won the championship in 1976. After more success in Formula Renault Europe and Formula Three, the 24 year-old joined F1 in 1980 with McLaren.

It was an erratic first season with highs and lows. Points on his debut in Buenos Aires and subsequent points in Zandvoort, Brands Hatch and Interlagos were matched with several heavy accidents, one which resulted in a broken wrist. Prost terminated his three-year contract with the team after just one season and joined Renault, citing the problems with the car and the teams negative attitude towards him for his departure.

After another topsy-turvy start to the season, Prost claimed his first ever win at his home race, the French Grand Prix in Dijon. That focused his mind and from there he didn’t look back. Two more wins followed in Zandvoort and Monza, while he also took two pole positions. A 5th place in the world championship was a fine result and he finished only seven points behind the champion Nelson Piquet.

Three more wins followed in 1982 and four more in 1983. He was getting closer to a world championship and finished just two points behind Piquet. However, his relationship with Renault deteriorated as they blamed him for not winning the championship and he blamed them for not developing the car sufficiently. A move back to McLaren for 1984 was sealed.

McLaren had built a monstrous car for 1984 and Prost and his new team-mate, double world champion Niki Lauda, dominated the season. Prost won seven more races to Lauda’s five but he lost out on the championship by an even smaller margin then the year before. Lauda became a three time champion by half a point. Prost would have won the championship had the Monaco Grand Prix ran for the full distance. Horrendous rain in the principality forced an abandoned race half way through; therefore the points awarded were half of what they would have normally been.

However, the now 29-year-old got his revenge the following season. After so many near-misses Prost stormed to the 1985 title, winning by 20 points. After Lauder retired, Prost was left to defend his title against the Williams pair of Piquet and Mansell. In a titanic battle, Mansell entered the final race set to become the champion. All he had to do was finish third in Australia but a spectacular rear-tyre failure handed the title to Prost.

McLaren couldn’t maintain their dominance in 1987 and Williams stormed to the title. Prost still fought hard and his win at the Portugal Grand Prix was his 28th career win, surpassing the previous record set by Sir Jackie Stewart. Prost’s hold of that record would last until 2001.

In 1988 McLaren signed with Honda after the engine manufacturers decided to dump Williams after they failed to hire a Japanese driver. Honda, who was the best around, was big fans of Ayrton Senna. Prost was so keen to secure Honda engines that he persuaded McLaren to sign the highly-rated Brazilian. In hindsight, he may have made a different decision. The team dominated and won 15 out of 16 races, with Prost clinching seven wins. He outscored Senna by seven points but a controversial system gave Senna the title. Prior to 1990, only the best nine results counted towards the championship standings, giving Senna the title by three points.

In 1988 the two drivers had mutual respect for each other but their battle for supremacy came to a head in 1989. Senna accused Prost of receiving favourable treatment from FISA boss Jean-Marie Belestre, while Prost accused Senna of “dangerous driving”. The pair dominated the season again, as Senna took 13 pole positions. In Japan, the final race, the tensions boiled over. Senna, needing to beat Prost to win the title, dived up the inside of his rival into the chicane. Prost, aware of what he was doing, turned in and the pair clashed. Prost climbed out of the car and celebrated winning the title but Senna managed to get his car going and went on to win the race. Afterwards, Senna was disqualified for cutting the chicane, making Prost champion.

After such an event, it was impossible for the two to remain team-mates and Prost left for Ferrari to partner Nigel Mansell. Mansell and Prost had their own inter-team battle as Prost played on Mansell’s mentality. Five more wins for Prost gave him a chance of winning the title, but he trailed Senna by nine points. In Japan they again clashed. At the start of the race Prost took the lead but Senna deliberately rammed them both off the road, meaning he was champion this time. Prost labelled the move as “disgusting”.

Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher racing each other.
Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher racing each other.
After Ferrari suffered in 1991, Prost took a sabbatical for the following year. He returned in 1993 with Williams, a year after Mansell won the title. Upon hearing that he would be partnered with Prost, Mansell left F1. Williams were as equally dominant and Prost won his fourth world title, holding off Damon Hill and Senna. He retired at the end of that season after it became apparent Senna was set to arrive for the 1994 season. He retired as a four-time champion and with 51 race wins.

Prost returned to the sport in 1998 with his own team ‘Prost Grand Prix’ but the experiment largely failed as they struggled to mediocre results. They folded at the end of 2002.

Alain Prost will never be called the greatest driver of all time. But he will always feature in the top five. His determination, tactical nous, blistering speed and forceful character have made him into one of the modern greats.

Alain Prost F1 Championship Results:
YEAR TEAM ENGINE RACES 1ST 2ND 3RD PODIUMS POLES LAPS FASTEST AVG PTS POINTS
1993 United Kingdom Williams Renault 16 7 3 2 12 13 989 6 6.19 99
1991 Italy Ferrari Ferrari 14 0 3 2 5 0 680 1 2.43 34
1990 Italy Ferrari Ferrari 16 5 2 2 9 0 859 2 4.56 73
1989 United Kingdom McLaren Honda 16 4 6 1 11 2 895 5 5.06 81
1988 United Kingdom McLaren Honda 16 7 7 0 14 2 973 7 6.56 105
1987 United Kingdom McLaren TAG 16 3 1 3 7 0 845 2 2.88 46
1986 United Kingdom McLaren TAG 16 4 4 3 11 1 934 2 4.63 74
1985 United Kingdom McLaren TAG 16 5 2 4 11 2 894 5 4.75 76
1984 United Kingdom McLaren TAG 16 7 1 1 9 3 819 3 4.47 71.5
1983 France Renault Renault 15 4 2 1 7 3 835 3 3.80 57
1982 France Renault Renault 16 2 2 0 4 5 779 4 2.13 34
1981 France Renault Renault 15 3 2 1 6 2 566 1 2.87 43
1980 United Kingdom McLaren Ford 11 0 0 0 0 0 472 0 0.45 5

Alain Prost F1 Podium Finishes:
YEAR RACE NO TEAM ENGINE GRID POS RETIRED PTS
106 1993 1993 Australian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 2 2 6
105 1993 1993 Japanese Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 2 6
104 1993 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 2 2 6
103 1993 1993 Belgian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 3 4
102 1993 1993 German Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
101 1993 1993 British Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
100 1993 1993 French Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 2 1 10
99 1993 1993 Canadian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
98 1993 1993 Spanish Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
97 1993 1993 San Marino Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
96 1993 1993 European Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 3 4
95 1993 1993 South African Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
94 1991 1991 Spanish Grand Prix result 27 Ferrari Ferrari 6 2 6
93 1991 1991 Italian Grand Prix result 27 Ferrari Ferrari 5 3 4
92 1991 1991 British Grand Prix result 27 Ferrari Ferrari 5 3 4
91 1991 1991 French Grand Prix result 27 Ferrari Ferrari 2 2 6
90 1991 1991 United States Grand Prix result 27 Ferrari Ferrari 2 2 6
89 1990 1990 Australian Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 4 3 4
88 1990 1990 Spanish Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 2 1 9
87 1990 1990 Portuguese Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 2 3 4
86 1990 1990 Italian Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 2 2 6
85 1990 1990 Belgian Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 3 2 6
84 1990 1990 British Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 5 1 9
83 1990 1990 French Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 4 1 9
82 1990 1990 Mexican Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 13 1 9
81 1990 1990 Brazilian Grand Prix result 1 Ferrari Ferrari 6 1 9
80 1989 1989 Spanish Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 3 3 4
79 1989 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 4 2 6
78 1989 1989 Italian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 4 1 9
77 1989 1989 Belgian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
76 1989 1989 German Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
75 1989 1989 British Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 2 1 9
74 1989 1989 French Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 1 1 9
73 1989 1989 United States Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 2 1 9
72 1989 1989 Monaco Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
71 1989 1989 San Marino Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
70 1989 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 5 2 6
69 1988 1988 Australian Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 1 9
68 1988 1988 Japanese Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
67 1988 1988 Spanish Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 1 9
66 1988 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 1 1 9
65 1988 1988 Belgian Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
64 1988 1988 Hungarian Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 7 2 6
63 1988 1988 German Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
62 1988 1988 French Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 1 1 9
61 1988 1988 Detroit Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 4 2 6
60 1988 1988 Canadian Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
59 1988 1988 Mexican Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 1 9
58 1988 1988 Monaco Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 1 9
57 1988 1988 San Marino Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 2 2 6
56 1988 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 3 1 9
55 1987 1987 Spanish Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 7 2 6
54 1987 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 3 1 9
53 1987 1987 Hungarian Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 4 3 4
52 1987 1987 French Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 2 3 4
51 1987 1987 Detroit Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 5 3 4
50 1987 1987 Belgian Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 6 1 9
49 1987 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 5 1 9
48 1986 1986 Australian Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 4 1 9
47 1986 1986 Mexican Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 6 2 6
46 1986 1986 Portuguese Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 3 2 No Time 6
45 1986 1986 Austrian Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 5 1 9
44 1986 1986 British Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 6 3 4
43 1986 1986 French Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 5 2 6
42 1986 1986 Detroit Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 7 3 4
41 1986 1986 Canadian Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 4 2 6
40 1986 1986 Monaco Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
39 1986 1986 San Marino Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 4 1 9
38 1986 1986 Spanish Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 4 3 4
37 1985 1985 South African Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 9 3 4
36 1985 1985 Belgian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 1 3 4
35 1985 1985 Italian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 5 1 9
34 1985 1985 Dutch Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 3 2 6
33 1985 1985 Austrian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
32 1985 1985 German Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 3 2 6
31 1985 1985 British Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 3 1 9
30 1985 1985 French Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 4 3 4
29 1985 1985 Canadian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 5 3 4
28 1985 1985 Monaco Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 5 1 9
27 1985 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 6 1 9
26 1984 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 2 1 9
25 1984 1984 European Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 2 1 9
24 1984 1984 Dutch Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
23 1984 1984 German Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
22 1984 1984 Canadian Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 2 3 4
21 1984 1984 Monaco Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 1 1 4.5
20 1984 1984 San Marino Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 2 1 9
19 1984 1984 South African Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 5 2 6
18 1984 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 4 1 9
17 1983 1983 European Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 8 2 6
16 1983 1983 Austrian Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 5 1 9
15 1983 1983 British Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 3 1 9
14 1983 1983 Belgian Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
13 1983 1983 Monaco Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 3 4
12 1983 1983 San Marino Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 4 2 6
11 1983 1983 French Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
10 1982 1982 Swiss Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 2 6
9 1982 1982 French Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 2 2 6
8 1982 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
7 1982 1982 South African Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 5 1 9
6 1981 1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 5 2 6
5 1981 1981 Italian Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 3 1 9
4 1981 1981 Dutch Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
3 1981 1981 German Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 2 6
2 1981 1981 French Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 3 1 9
1 1981 1981 Argentine Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 2 3 4

Alain Prost F1 Pole Positions:
YEAR RACE NO TEAM ENGINE GRID POS RETIRED PTS
33 1993 1993 Japanese Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 2 6
32 1993 1993 Italian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 12 Engine 0
31 1993 1993 Belgian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 3 4
30 1993 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 12 0
29 1993 1993 German Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
28 1993 1993 British Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
27 1993 1993 Canadian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
26 1993 1993 Monaco Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 4 3
25 1993 1993 Spanish Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
24 1993 1993 San Marino Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
23 1993 1993 European Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 3 4
22 1993 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 Ret Collision 0
21 1993 1993 South African Grand Prix result 2 Williams Renault 1 1 10
20 1989 1989 French Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 1 1 9
19 1989 1989 Canadian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren Honda 1 Ret Suspension 0
18 1988 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 1 1 9
17 1988 1988 French Grand Prix result 11 McLaren Honda 1 1 9
16 1986 1986 Monaco Grand Prix result 1 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
15 1985 1985 Belgian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 1 3 4
14 1985 1985 Austrian Grand Prix result 2 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
13 1984 1984 Dutch Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
12 1984 1984 German Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 1 1 9
11 1984 1984 Monaco Grand Prix result 7 McLaren TAG 1 1 4.5
10 1983 1983 Belgian Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
9 1983 1983 Monaco Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 3 4
8 1983 1983 French Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
7 1982 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 4 3
6 1982 1982 Swiss Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 2 6
5 1982 1982 Detroit Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 NC No Time 0
4 1982 1982 Belgian Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 Ret Spun Off 0
3 1982 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
2 1981 1981 Dutch Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 1 9
1 1981 1981 German Grand Prix result 15 Renault Renault 1 2 6