Alain Prost

Biography of Alain Prost

Alain Prost Profile

Alain Prost is one of only five drivers to have won four or more world championship titles alongside Sebastian Vettel, Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

For his calculated driving, Prost earned the nickname 'The Professor' and the Frenchman's win total of 51 stood as the benchmark in F1 before Michael Schumacher bettered him with a 52nd win in the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix.

During a career spanning 13-seasons from 1980-91 and a successful return in 1993, Prost's career became intrinsically linked to that of Ayrton Senna with the rivalry between the two often cited as the most bitter in the history of F1.

Prost joined the F1 grid with McLaren but moved for '91 to Renault where he scored nine wins and 17 podiums in three years, ending his relationship by finishing second in the drivers' standings in '83.

Returning to McLaren, Prost again finished second in '84 but attained championship glory in each of the two years that followed, his '86 victory secured only after Nigel Mansell suffered a dramatic tyre blowout in the Adelaide season finale.

The following three years saw Prost's rivalry with Senna come to the fore with Senna defeating the Frenchman in the title race in 1988 and only losing out through a controversial disqualification in Japan the year after.

The events of the 1990 season-ending race is a moment most remembered by fans, with the two colliding at turn one in an incident that saw Senna crowned champion.

After driving for Ferrari in 1990-91, Prost received a payment from the team not to drive for a rival the following year but, after a year out, signed for Williams in a move that saw him secure his fourth title.

Since retiring, Prost has remained in the paddock, briefly running his Prost team whilst more recently serving as a special advisor to the Alpine team.