71 replies to this topic

[Elba]

Just read that Alain Marie Pascal Prost aka Le Professeur turns 60 today.

 

How time flies as it seems to me like yesterday that he was competing in our sport.

I always admired his tactical driving style, the way he approached his races.

His palmares:

 

World Champion formula 1:1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993

Wins: 51

Podiums: 106

Poles: 33

Fastest Laps: 41

 

Much has been said about his feud with Senna but as time progressed I've both in my memory as absolute heroes.

 

Happy birthday Alain, may you stay with us for a long time!

 

some background on his feud with Senna

Brundle interview with Prost

 

My absolute favorite picture:

 

Sorry mods if this constitutes a driver thread or if it belongs in TNF, I thought it would be a nice thread for the off-season 

Edited by Elba, 24 February 2015 - 10:47.

[Taxi]

One of the absolute best. Clean, tactical, cerebral, and the fastest race trim I've seen alongside Schumacher.If  he needed to gain 0,5 sec a lap he would do it. No more no less. Precise and consistent.   Also beated an imense quality of team mates. Senna, Lauda, Hill, Mansell, Rosberg.  Chapeau.

[Dolph]

I think a special quote from Senna suits the occasion: "A special hello to our dear friend Alain. We all miss you, Alain."

 

Happy birthday!

[Spillage]

Happy birthday champ!

 

For anyone who hasn't seen it, I can thoroughly recommend his career-retrospective F1 Legends interview with Steve Rider. Well worth 45 minutes of your time!

[Lotus53B]

Bon anniversaire, mon brave!

 

I loved the battles with Ayrton - two totally different styles of driving bringing some of the most entertaining races ever.

[Victor_RO]

Let's not forget that Maurice Hamilton is currently busy writing an official biography of Le Prof. Really looking forward to reading it.

[chunder27]

The very best in my view, ranks above far more for his fairness on track, his desite to race clean and for his ability to unravel opponents.

 

One of the most honest in interviews I have seen.

 

Safety conscious, to his cost on more than one occasion

 

And yes he played the politics, but why not?  If he gained from it others were not clever enough or wise enough to do the same.

 

He will always be under the radar from some, usually because of Senna, but the way he dealt with 1990 says it all.  If a bloke is prepared to drive into you at 150mph in a huff with race officials, then you can have it you childish, petulant little brat.

 

The way he dealt wit the remaining years, the way he dealt with the funeral, the way he has since dealt with the movie.

 

Class, gentlemanly and above all sporting.

 

Salut Alain, in my eyes at least, the best ever.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Legend. Happy Birthday, Alain!

[Spillage]

Let's not forget that Maurice Hamilton is currently busy writing an official biography of Le Prof. Really looking forward to reading it.

Wonder if that'll tell the unofficial story of his departure from Renault... 

[Collective]

True legend, one of the all time greats. Happy birthday.

[Disgrace]

In case anyone missed it, Alain is on Twitter. He looks like he's still fit enough to race.

[NoSanityClause]

Bon anniversaire, le Professeur!

 

(Yes, that's Senna's helmet)

Edited by NoSanityClause, 24 February 2015 - 15:23.

[Atreiu]

Congrats!

[ViMaMo]

Happy Birthday Prof!

[JacnGille]

Happy Birthday!

[kevinracefan]

cheers!!

[Sheepmachine]

Happy birthday Alain Prost!

[aditya-now]

Happy birthday, Alain! Thanks for all those years of driving ingenuity!!! 

[KWSN - DSM]

Good on him, but how the heck can a driver I remember entering F1 be 60!!1

 

[Lemans]

Happy Birthday, Alain!

[MLC]

The best in my eyes. For me, F1 has never been the same after 1993. Senna and Prost were such giants that they left a great hole that was never properly filled for me. I remember in the late 1980s realizing that Alain would retire someday; after all he was in his late 30s and that was getting old (today it doesn't seem quite so old anymore, now that I'm in my 40s). Hard to believe that he is now 60, though I'm sure he could still pedal a race car pretty fast. I know he does so with bikes these days.

 

Happy birthday, Alain!

[Craven Morehead]

Good on him, but how the heck can a driver I remember entering F1 be 60!!1

 

You took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Happy B-Day Alain.     

[RSNS]

I greatly admire Prost. Congratulations.

[sennafan24]

I know I am a tad late, but all the best to Alain on his 60th. 

 

One of the greatest drivers I have observed, and a key player in my favourite era of F1. 

Edited by sennafan24, 25 February 2015 - 00:48.

[teejay]

A legend of the sport and one of the best to get behind the wheel.

 

Part of the most incredible era too.

 

Happy bday Mr Prost.

[CoolBreeze]

wow...how time flies! Congrats Prof!

[warp]

Bon anniversaire, le Professeur!

 

 

(Yes, that's Senna's helmet)

 

 

This picture really moved me.

 

I grew up watching those two exchanging punches on the race-track. Prost was always my favourite before a certain Michael Schumacher appeared.

 

It's mindblowing to think what Senna or Prost could have achieved if they wouldn't have faced each other.

[Jimisgod]

I'm sad his team failed. Would have been great to witness another winning team like McLaren or Brabham, lead by an ex-driver. F1 is sadly lacking a French connection today (except for Renault).

[GoldenColt]

How can a guy look exactly the same at 60 as he did when he was 30 or 40.

 

Happy birthday.

[asdf24]

Rated as the #1 F1 driver of all time by me.

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

Awesome driver.

[king_crud]

My first grand prix live was the 93 Australian race, which was Alain's last ever and Senna's last win. I sat in the grandstand at the hairpin at the end of the back straight. I could spot Senna's pole lap, he came in, you could hear he was braking later and accelerated out of the corner slightly better than the other laps, some of which were very ragged.

Prost? Every lap the same, even the first lap of practice, so smooth, hit the mark every time.

[DukeSpecial]

I was a big Senna fan, but I think Prost was the better driver. Prost was the best driver I saw racing from 1982 to the present day.

[aportinga]

He'd still stuff the entire 2015 grid!

[RubberKubrick]

He'd still stuff the entire 2015 grid!

Bar Alonso and Hamilton maybe. Against them, it would be close.

[aportinga]

The best in my eyes. For me, F1 has never been the same after 1993. Senna and Prost were such giants that they left a great hole that was never properly filled for me. I remember in the late 1980s realizing that Alain would retire someday; after all he was in his late 30s and that was getting old (today it doesn't seem quite so old anymore, now that I'm in my 40s). Hard to believe that he is now 60, though I'm sure he could still pedal a race car pretty fast. I know he does so with bikes these days.

 

Happy birthday, Alain!

 

Yes... F1 needed a few years of Senna vs Schumacher - trading WDCs.

 

Throw in there Hakkinen and you would have had a nice transition.

 

Hill and Villeneuve would have never claimed a WDC however.

[aportinga]

Bar Alonso and Hamilton maybe. Against them, it would be close.

 

I was kidding but who knows?

 

I don't think we've had a driver like Prost since however.

[aportinga]

Crap I forgot, how many WDC would have Prost won if it was not for having to drop points/wins?

 

 

[Collombin]

Crap I forgot, how many WDC would have Prost won if it was not for having to drop points/wins?

Dropping wins?? Has anyone had to do that since Clark?

Very much looking forward to a decent Prost bio, although a bit disappointed by the word "official".

[chunder27]

He whsould won in 83, could also have won in 84 but he came up against a very clvever, very experienced man who showed him really how to win titles.

 

Lauda did to Alain in 84 what Alain did to everyone else in the years since.

 

83 was criminal really typical Renault, not sure about 81, car was still unreliable.

 

And 1990 obviously without Senna's petulant strop he would have won that year too.

 

He was only really trounced in 91, 88 was pretty close. 87 car was outclassed as was everything else.

[Collombin]

There was a time when it was thought he might never be champion. He seemed to get so close so often and just miss out. After he was DQ'ed at Imola in 1985 I remember phoning my friend to break the news to him that the race we had just witnessed had not in fact been won by Prost but by Thierry Boutsen (despite the evidence of our own eyes). From that point we were convinced he was jinxed!

Fortunately he soon got the hang of it.

Sure, Senna and Prost took titles off each other but without each other would they have reached the same heights? (Prost, maybe. Senna, certainly not).

[TecnoRacing]

Never care for Prost....a small and petty man at least in his F1 dealings. Zero coincidence that he left 4 out of the 5 teams he drove for on fairly toxic terms. No doubting his talent though. Shame the poor and incomplete Senna film has further provoked the reactionary effect of perennially of turning him into sort of mayrt...the gentleman in the face of Senna' dastardlyness, blah, blah... Absolute nonsense.

 

Happy 60

[RubberKubrick]

Sure, Senna and Prost took titles off each other but without each other would they have reached the same heights? (Prost, maybe. Senna, certainly not).

 

Then he would've singled out someone else as his motivational incentive (like Lauda, Piquet, Mansell or whoever because he seemed to need such a motivation to rise really high) and would've begun to outperform that driver in the races (meaning wins) or would've begun to massively outperform that driver in qualifying (meaning poles).

Edited by RubberKubrick, 28 February 2015 - 00:38.

[Anja]

Never care for Prost....a small and petty man at least in his F1 dealings. Zero coincidence that he left 4 out of the 5 teams he drove for on fairly toxic terms. No doubting his talent though. Shame the poor and incomplete Senna film has further provoked the reactionary effect of perennially of turning him into sort of mayrt...the gentleman in the face of Senna' dastardlyness, blah, blah... Absolute nonsense.

 

Right, because Senna was such a saint. Always playing victim with his soft spoken voice when in reality he was just as ruthless as any other driver.

[DS27]

Never care for Prost....a small and petty man at least in his F1 dealings. Zero coincidence that he left 4 out of the 5 teams he drove for on fairly toxic terms. No doubting his talent though. Shame the poor and incomplete Senna film has further provoked the reactionary effect of perennially of turning him into sort of mayrt...the gentleman in the face of Senna' dastardlyness, blah, blah... Absolute nonsense.

 

Happy 60

 

 

The 'Senna' film mis-represented Senna to a far greater extent.

[PlatenGlass]

He whsould won in 83, could also have won in 84 but he came up against a very clvever, very experienced man who showed him really how to win titles.
 
Lauda did to Alain in 84 what Alain did to everyone else in the years since.

Lauda just got lucky in 1984. I know people like the narrative of the wily old Lauda using his cunning to beat the youthful Prost who was faster but not as worldly wise. But the evidence doesn't stack up.

Similarly, Piquet was just lucky in 1987 and to be honest Prost in 1989.

Edited by PlatenGlass, 01 March 2015 - 00:14.

[RubberKubrick]

Crap I forgot, how many WDC would have Prost won if it was not for having to drop points/wins?

Why didn't he do it in 1984 then (like Senna in 1988)? There were very similar circumstances for him like there were for Senna in 1988:

-less points,

- more wins (and, compared to his teammate, less mechanical DNFs for Prost?).

Difference compared to Senna 1988: no title.

And another thing to consider: the "1984-version" Lauda was probably weaker than the "1988-version" Prost. So Prost had a somewhat easier task in 1984 than Senna in 1988.

[Seanspeed]

Both had a fair amount of mechanical DNF's, but Prost had several other races that were hampered due to issues and he still finished, but it definitely hurt his races. And he also tended to be farther ahead than Lauda when they had their retirements.

I think that is one year where I can definitely say that there was a more deserving winner than the person who won it. Prost outdrove him all year long.

[RubberKubrick]

Right, because Senna was such a saint. Always playing victim with his soft spoken voice when in reality he was just as ruthless as any other driver.

He wasn't the super saint like Prost was not always the super gentleman (I mean almost always having issues when departing the teams (Renault, McLaren, Ferrari... I mean c'mon).

Or, it seems that when he complained about his teammates, it's considered OK and justified, but whenever his teammates complained (Arnoux, Mansell, Senna) about him, then it isn't that justified all of a sudden.

When people say that Senna's fans overhype him ("saint"), then it can easily be said that Prost's fans overhype him as well ("gentleman").

[Collombin]

Both had a fair amount of mechanical DNF's, but Prost had several other races that were hampered due to issues and he still finished, but it definitely hurt his races.

A key turning point was Austria, where Lauda had gearbox issues but still won because Piquet didn't realise it. A case of Lauda being clever, or simply lucky?

Monaco being stopped ironically also counted against Prost, and in that era a best 11 rule was too high to be of any use.

It says a lot about their relative pace that Prost only finished runner up to Lauda once - and that was in a race where Prost started from the pitlane.