The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsFormula One has been blessed with some truly outstanding drivers in the past, and whilst they should all be respected in their own right as world champions – many of whom have won multiple titles – it is human nature to try and compare drivers of different generations. Here at ‘The Sports Lowdown’ our chief Formula One writers Dan Culyer and Ben Boorman attempt to do just that. In a daily countdown, they will formulate a list of the greatest drivers – past and present – in an attempt to decipher who is the greatest the sport has ever seen.
Whether it is Senna; or Schumacher; or Prost; or Hamilton; or Clark; or Stewart; or Vettel – be sure to keep an eye on proceedings at The Sports Lowdown, and as usual we would love to hear your views on our list, so any comments would be greatly appreciated.
No. 6 – Alain Prost
Many regard Alain Prost as the most complete driver of all time: on the track he was not only very quick, but was also very tactical with his racing and knew how to get the best out of his car, but off the track he was just as prolific. The Frenchman was highly intelligent, steely eyed and had a political astuteness which helped him gain an advantage – however slight or large – over his rivals. His silky style of racing won many admirers, with Prost often providing flawless technical ability, and in doing so, became renown for using less track than any other driver. John Watson, Keke Rosberg, Jean Alesi and Damon Hill were all former team-mates that could only shake their heads in frustration and marvel at Prost’s brilliance on the track, and many believe that had luck been on the Frenchman’s side, then it would be he, and not Schumacher, who would currently hold the record for the highest number of world championships. Four world titles is still an incredible feat though, but, it is perhaps his incredible rivalry with a certain Ayrton Senna, that is Prost’s best achievement.
The 1988, 1989 and 1990 seasons were perhaps the greatest the sport had ever had, and the first two years were dominated by the McLaren team-mates of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. After the conclusion of the 1987 season, McLaren searched for a driver to partner Prost, and after rejecting the option of having Nelson Piquet as a team-mate on the grounds that he would be too disruptive, the Frenchman instead gave his blessing to up-and-coming star Ayrton Senna. The irony in this is tangible, and the rivalry between the two of them was anything but smooth. The pair crossed the line of perceived acceptability on numerous occasions with the title deciders in 1889 and 1990 being two such examples. The two waged war on and off the track, and pushed each other to such limits that conflict was inevitable – Prost and Senna were on a collision course right from the start.
Their rivalry was a battle of two completely different drivers in completely different stages of their career: Senna was the young-blooded, insanely fast and aggressive out and out racer; Prost was the calculating, experienced ‘Professor’ who was arguably the better all-rounder. Qualifying was nearly-always dominated by Senna who simply possessed greater natural raw speed, but the races were a different story. Senna, at times, lacked the consistency of his team-mate and his unrelenting search for greatness often meant he pushed that little bit too hard. Prost on the other hand was not as quick, and invariably came out second best when Senna was at his very best.
That is perhaps the greatest compliment one can pay Prost. Against the man who is widely regarded as the greatest racer of all time, Prost refused to lie down and be a comprehensive second best, and nobody can claim to have pushed the Brazilian so far out of his comfort zone as the curly haired Frenchman so often did during their intense and fascinating rivalry (this is of course vice versa).
Whilst, the countless dispute and collisions of the rivalry are well documented, their ultimate friendship and the mutual respect they had for each other is not so publicly known. It is often the case that two great rivals are, behind the armour of warfare, very good friends, and Prost and Senna are no exception. The physical and psychological pressure of an intense title battle took it’s toll on both men, and with two men both possessing such incredible talent, and both highly competitive, intelligent and politically astute there was always going to be trouble, and so it is slightly unfair to judge their relationship based on what happens on a race weekend.
After qualifying for the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix, where Senna had convincingly driven his car to pole with Prost in second, in the McLaren garage Prost was talking to one of his race engineers with Senna listening in closely. “He is f****** quick!” exclaimed Prost with a sly smile – much to the delight of Senna who, upon hearing this, winked at the pair of them. It is one of those fond stories that seldom get publicised, but is in fact a vital component of their epic rivalry. Senna very rarely, if ever, complimented his counterpart, for fear of revealing some internal weakness, but it was obvious through his sheer desire to beat his team-mate, just how highly he rated Alain Prost.
Over the years, Prost has often been painted unfavourably during his rivalry with Senna, partly due to the Brazilian’s immense popularity and charisma, but also due to the ‘Professor’s’ driving style many perceived as being overly calculating and cautious. It was in fact anything but. Prost was incredibly quick, and knew how to push when necessary, but he also realised that driving like this will get you only so far: you need to know when to accept defeat and take the points in the hope that it will prove decisive in the title race. He remains a degree undervalued, dismissed as a calculating figure who played the percentages and when it came to ultimate speed was a poor second best to Ayrton Senna. Unfortunately for him, Senna is no longer here to refute that statement and defend Prost – as I am certain he would have done if he was still alive.
Apart from that, few can say a bad word about Prost, and few other drivers past and present have gained such respect by their comrades. Always honest and well-spoken, Prost was – and still is – a pleasure to interview, and his quiet and conserved personality contributed to his deceptive speed which took everyone by surprise time and time again, and even if one realised his true pace, there was little they could do about it!
Prost is the third most successful driver of all time – after Schumacher and Fangio – and for that he will always go down in history as a Formula One legend. He pushed the fastest man of all time to new heights, and got closer to him than any contemporary, and that is, for me, the greatest compliment one can pay him.
Thank you for reading this article. Leave comments below.
@Dan_Culyer
Tomorrow: Number 5 – ?
See also:
No. 7 – Sir Jackie Stewart – https://thesportslowdown.co.uk/2015/09/sports-lowdowns-greatest-formula-one-drivers-time-no-7-sir-jackie-stewart/
No. 8 – Niki Lauda – https://thesportslowdown.co.uk/2015/09/the-sports-lowdowns-greatest-formula-one-drivers-of-all-time-no-8-niki-lauda/
No. 9 – Sebastian Vettel – https://thesportslowdown.co.uk/2015/09/the-sports-lowdowns-greatest-formula-one-drivers-of-all-time-no-9-sebastian-vettel/
No. 10 – Sir Jack Brabham – https://thesportslowdown.co.uk/2015/09/sports-lowdowns-greatest-formula-one-drivers-time-no-10-jack-brabham/
