24 replies to this topic

[aportinga]

Anyone recall the $2 mill that Frank Williams gave Prost to NOT drive th 04 season? Why was that? Additionally why did Prost not step into the Williams for the remainder of the 04 season... The latter was not something ever brought up by any services (ESPN/CNN) here in the States... Perhaps it never was anywhere.

[cheesy poofs]

Are you talking about the 1994 season??

[Twin Window]

PM Inc will have been behind it.

[aportinga]

Originally posted by cheesy poofs
Are you talking about the 1994 season??

Yes - sorry for not specifying.

[AMICALEMANS]

It was not Williams, but Renault... and ELF tried to put him in the Ligier; he did a test at Paul Ricard with a white suit and an helmet with no sponsor on it.

[ensign14]

Prost In Stig Shocker.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Originally posted by Twin Window
PM Inc will have been behind it.

Did PM own Rothmans at the time?

[962C]

Originally posted by AMICALEMANS
It was not Williams, but Renault... and ELF tried to put him in the Ligier; he did a test at Paul Ricard with a white suit and an helmet with no sponsor on it.

Wasn't that in 1992?

[simonlewisbooks]

Originally posted by aportinga
Anyone recall the $2 mill that Frank Williams gave Prost to NOT drive th 04 season?

Mansell always said he was paid handsomely not to drive for a couple of years after he and McLaren parted. I'm sure there have been others?
One wonders about Alonso? Are McLaren paying him to drive for the opposition this coming season?

Modern day F1 teams exhibit an amazing talent to blow huge amounts of money in the daftest ways...

[Macca]

If Prost had a 2-year contract, but Frank wanted Senna and vice-versa, and no way could there be two bulls in a field yet again, then it all adds up....

Paul M

[simonlewisbooks]

Originally posted by Macca
If Prost had a 2-year contract, but Frank wanted Senna and vice-versa, and no way could there be two bulls in a field yet again, then it all adds up....

Paul M

Williams had a habit of this kind of thing...

Jones & Reuterman .. result - bad feeling and Jones leaves 1 year on from winning the title.
Piquet & Mansell .. result - Losing both Honda engines and Piquet...while reigning champion...PR disaster
Mansell & Prost .. result - Mansell leaves ...while reigning champion - PR disaster.
Prost & Senna.. result - costs £2m to keep Prost in the garden for a year... while reigning champion....
Hill & Villeneuve.. result - Hill gets replaced...while reigning champion - major PR disaster again
Montoya & Ralf S. .. result - multi race winner Montoya leaves for McLaren

You get the feeling man-management is not the team's forte?
The real moral of this tale seems to be don't win a title driving a Williams and expect to keep your job!

[wolf sun]

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks



Jones & Reuterman .. result - bad feeling and Jones leaves 1 ear on from winning the title.
disaster

A bit like Tyson, in a way...

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

[simonlewisbooks]

Originally posted by wolf sun


A bit like Tyson, in a way...

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

I'd better edit that hadn't I ?

[gio66]

Mansell always said he was paid handsomely not to drive for a couple of years after he and McLaren parted. I'm sure there have been others?

What do you think about the Schumy's 2007 fee?

Why FIAT pays so many money for a NOT driver?

[aportinga]

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks


Mansell always said he was paid handsomely not to drive for a couple of years after he and McLaren parted. I'm sure there have been others?
One wonders about Alonso? Are McLaren paying him to drive for the opposition this coming season?

Modern day F1 teams exhibit an amazing talent to blow huge amounts of money in the daftest ways...

What I was also wondering if the pay off was specific only to F1? Could they run elsewhere?

[wolf sun]

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks


I'd better edit that hadn't I ?

[COUGAR508]

Originally posted by Macca
If Prost had a 2-year contract, but Frank wanted Senna and vice-versa, and no way could there be two bulls in a field yet again, then it all adds up....

Paul M

Not many people expected Alain to quit after just one season with Williams, and in 1993 they still had an advantage over most of the field, chassis and engine-wise, although of course the '94 car was difficult and the ban on "gizmos" closed the field up. It may have been just a case of Frank and Patrick ensuring that Prost did not find a way of circumventing his contract, driving for somebody else and helping to build a stronger challenge to Williams' dominance.

Of course, the Prost/Senna dynamic may have played a part, too...

[rallen]

Did Prost ever consider coming back again in 1994?

[rallen]

You get the feeling man-management is not the team's forte?
The real moral of this tale seems to be don't win a title driving a Williams and expect to keep your job!

Agree Simon, never supported Williams mainly because of how they treated there drivers, even though they were 'the team' when I was a kid and British! - those things are important when you are a nipper!

[David M. Kane]

It was not Williams, but Renault... and ELF tried to put him in the Ligier; he did a test at Paul Ricard with a white suit and an helmet with no sponsor on it.

Alain had a huge falling out with Renault. Maybe someone else has the details; I only have rumors.

[arttidesco]

Alain had a huge falling out with Renault. Maybe someone else has the details; I only have rumors.

I think that was in the turbo era when Alain ended up moving from Renault to McLaren TAG.

[rallen]

Alain had a huge falling out with Renault. Maybe someone else has the details; I only have rumors.

Really, I didn't realise he fell out with Renault in 1993 - thought it was all about not wanting to be Senna's team mate. Can't imagine what him and Renault would have fallen out about then.

[midgrid]

Did Prost ever consider coming back again in 1994?

Yes: he tested the McLaren MP4/9 (powered by a Peugeot engine, of course!) ahead of the 1994 season in a serious evaluation of whether or not to drive for the team alongside Mika Hakkinen, but ultimately decided against it and the seat went to Martin Brundle instead. Presumably he would have lost his Williams pay-out had he taken the drive. Peugeot were understandably miffed at losing out on teaming up with the most successful French driver in the history of F1, and insisted that Philippe Alliot be taken on as the team's test driver.

Over the next few seasons, Prost remained in close contact with McLaren, and even acted as a consultant for a time, before deciding to buy Ligier and form his own team. During this period he tested the MP4/10 and MP4/11, but by this point he had no intention of returning. It's interesting to note that Ron Dennis entrusted him with shaking down the MP4/11, as Hakkinen was still recovering from his severe accident at Adelaide, and new signing David Coulthard was an unknown quantity to the team at the time.

[midgrid]

Prost's huge falling-out with Renault occurred in 1983, on the back of Piquet pinching the WDC from under their noses (and Ferrari securing the WCC). The relationship between them had obviously thawed ten years later, and has remained good ever since.

The Ligier test took place before the 1992 season, after Prost had been sacked by Ferrari before the final race of the 1991 championship. Prost wore regular driver Érik Comas's helmet as a disguise and set competitive times, but opted for a year's sabbatical instead, knowing that his reputation and the national interests of Renault and Elf would almost certainly secure him a Williams seat for 1993.

[rallen]

I can see why Prost after leaving the best car in 1993 would not want to come back in an inferior McLaren but was he tempted or considered for the Williams seat after Imola 94 - as that was still the best car. I have heard Williams offered Patrese the seat which he declined but I would have thought Elf and Reanalt would have wanted Prost back as they were desperate for a big name.