Alain Prost

One man, however, stands out from the rest, and while many consider Ayrton Senna is the best driver McLaren ever had, the backbone of the team during the late 80s was a certain French driver by the name of Alain Prost.

Alain Prost celebrates his record-breaking 28th F1 win. (Image: Twitter)
By Nilavro Ghosh | May 19, 2022 | 5 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

McLaren is a team that has been home to many a Formula One legend over the course of their illustrious history. Several F1 legends found their success and McLaren and a large number of them have become legends of the sport. These include the likes of Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton, Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt and any more. One man, however, stands out from the rest, and while many consider Ayrton Senna is the best driver McLaren ever had, the backbone of the team during the late 80s was a certain French driver by the name of Alain Prost.

Prost is considered to be one of the greatest drivers in history. Of course, with four world championships, 51 wins and 106 podiums, it is easy to see why. Before the likes of Senna and Schumacher were at the peak of their powers, Prost dominated the landscape in Formula One. He developed heart-racing rivalries with Senna, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, all of who were his title rivals throughout different periods of his career.

Alain Prost before F1

Prost was born to Armenian parents Andre Prost and Marie-Rose Karatchian in the commune of Lorette near the town of Saint-Chamond, in the département of Loire near Saint-Etienne, France. Daniel was his younger brother, who died of cancer in September 1986. In his youth, the Frenchman won multiple karting competitions. He dropped out of school in 1974 to pursue a career as a full-time racer, supporting himself by tuning engines and working as a kart distributor. After winning the 1977 Formula Renault European Championship, Prost advanced to Formula Three (F3) in 1978. He won the French and European F3 titles in 1979. Several Formula One teams had him on their shopping lists by this point.

F1 debut and teams

Prost began his career in 1980 with Teddy Mayer’s McLaren, alongside Ulsterman John Watson. He finished sixth in his debut at Buenos Aires, Argentina, earning one point. For 1981, he was paired with Rene Arnoux, a fellow Frenchman. He was much faster than his partner right away, which produced a lot of friction between them. He won his maiden Formula One race at the fast Dijon circuit in his home country of France, finishing two seconds ahead of his former teammate John Watson.

In South Africa and Brazil, Prost won the first two Grands Prix of the 1982 season. Prost improved his Drivers’ Championship position despite retiring from seven races, finishing fourth with nine less points than the previous year. During the 1983 season, Prost won four more races for Renault and finished second in the Drivers’ Championship, two points behind Nelson Piquet. In the final races of the season, Piquet and the Brabham team overtook Prost and Renault.

The first title

In 1984, Prost joined double world champion Niki Lauda at McLaren (which is currently owned by Ron Dennis). Despite winning seven races to Lauda’s five, he lost the world title to him by half a point in the final race of the season in Portugal. Prost was the first French Formula One World Champion in 1985. During the season, he won five of the sixteen Grands Prix. In France, his efforts in 1985 earned him the Légion d’honneur.

Prost successfully defended his title in 1985, following Lauda’s retirement, despite his car suffering against the Honda-powered Williams cars driven by Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell. Prost appeared to be on track to finish second in the 1986 championship, behind Mansell, until the final moments of the Australian Grand Prix. Mansell crashed out at 180 mph (290 km/h) while running third behind Piquet and right behind Prost on the road (3rd was all he needed to win the championship). Piquet was pitted by the Williams team to replace tyres as a safety precaution, but Prost had already pitted due to a puncture and did not need to change his tyres again, allowing him to win.

Breaking point with Senna

1989 was a tumultuous year for the Senna-Prost relationship. At the San Marino GP, the drivers agreed that whoever won the start would not be challenged by the other going into the first turn. After Senna won the first race, Prost stuck to his word. Prost won the restart, but Senna past him under the brakes for Tosa. Prost went to a buddy, a French journalist, and told him about his and Senna’s violated agreement. Despite Prost’s wishes, the journalist made the story public. Senna claimed in public that such such arrangement had ever occurred between Prost and himself during testing at Pembrey in Wales, but Prost’s account was backed up by Marlboro’s John Hogan, who had been present when the agreement was struck. Their sour season came to an end, just as many experts predicted. Senna makes his move at the Casio Chicane at the end of lap 46 of the Japanese Grand Prix. Turning into the corner, Prost collided with his colleague, culminating in a collision and the vehicles tumbling down the escape route, with the Frenchman claiming the world championship.

After a sabbatical in 1992, Prost was back in the game the following year with Williams alongside Damon Hill. Prost won his fourth and final championship in a year in which teammate Hill and Ayrton Senna constantly challenged him. Prost revealed shortly before the Portuguese Grand Prix in October 1993 that he will not defend his world title since his contract provision did not continue to 1994.

Career Stats

Races202
Wins51
Podiums106
Pole Positions33
Points768.5
World Championships4

Alain Prost wife

In terms of Alain Prost’s personal life, he is currently married to Anna-Marie Prost. Anna-Marie Prost, Alain Prost’s wife, is well-known for being the wife of a former Formula One racer. Anna-Marie, on the other hand, lives a very private existence. As a result, there is very little information about her on the internet. Alain Prost, a four-time Formula One champion, and Anna-Marie were childhood pals. The pair married in Saint-Chamond in 1980 after a decade of dating. They spent the majority of their adult lives together. Alain also had two babies at the same time. Nicolas and Sacha Prost, the couple’s kids, were born.

Alain Prost net worth

Alain Prost is a French race car driver with a USD 100 million net worth. In 1999, Alain received the World Sports Awards of the Century in the field of motor sport. In 1997, he took over the French Liger team and controlled it as Prost Grand Prix until it went bankrupt in 2002. In addition, he competed in the Andros Trophy and the ice racing championship. In 2012 and 2013, the Frenchman finished the Absa Cape Epic race. President Francois Mitterrand bestowed the Legion d’Honneur upon him.