Alain Prost, born February 24, 1955, is a French former F1 driver and Formula 1 team owner. He is a four-time F1 World Drivers’ Champion and held the record for the most Grand Prix wins, 51 victories, from 1987 until 2001 when Michael Schumacher passed his record at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix.
| Nationality | French |
|---|---|
| Born | Alain Marie Pascal Prost 24 February 1955 Lorette, Loire, France |
Prost was introduced to karting at 14 years old during a family holiday. He quickly moved up the ranks of motorsport, claiming titles in the French and European Formula Three championships. By 1980, at 24, Prost joined the McLaren Formula 1 team. He scored points in his first race at the 1980 Argentine Grand Prix in Buenos Aires coming home in 6th and scoring 1 point. The following year Prost secured his first podium at the same race. His first Grand Prix win came at the 1981 France Grand Prix, racing for the Renault team. By 1985, Prost had established himself as one of the best drivers on the grid, securing his first of four drivers’ championship.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Prost was at the centre of intense on-track battles with Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, and Nigel Mansell. And in 1986, at the season finale in Adelaide, Prost clinched his second title over Mansell and Piquet.
The arrival of Senna at McLaren in 1988 sparked a series of aggressive battles, including a collision at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix that secured Prost his third championship. Their rivalry continued with another collision in 1990, this time costing Prost the title.
After a challenging 1991 season with Ferrari, during which he openly criticised the team, he was subsequently let go. Prost took a break in 1992 and returned with Williams in 1993, winning the championship for a fourth time, and retired at the end of the season.
Beyond driving in F1, Prost acquired the Ligier Formula One team in 1997, rebranding it as Prost Grand Prix until it folded in 2002. He also found success in the Andros Trophy, an ice racing series, from 2003 to 2012, where he claimed 38 wins and three championships.
Known for his smooth and calculated driving style, Prost was inspired by legends like Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark which earned him the nickname “The Professor” for his strategic approach to racing. Despite not being fond of the nickname, he acknowledged its fittingness, highlighting his skill in conserving his car’s brakes and tyres in the closing stages of a race.
Alain Prost Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1980–1991, 1993 |
|---|---|
| Teams | McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, Williams |
| Entries | 202 (199 starts) |
| Championships | 4 (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993) |
| Wins | 51 |
| Podiums | 106 |
| Career points | 768.5 |
| Pole positions | 33 |
| Fastest laps | 41 |
| First entry | 1980 Argentine Grand Prix |
| First win | 1981 French Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1993 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1993 Australian Grand Prix |
Alain Prost Teammates
| 11 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Watson | 14 | 1980 | 1985 |
| Rene Arnoux | 31 | 1981 | 1982 |
| Eddie Cheever | 15 | 1983 | |
| Niki Lauda | 31 | 1984 | 1985 |
| Stefan Bellof | 1 | 1984 | |
| Keke Rosberg | 16 | 1986 | |
| Stefan Johansson | 16 | 1987 | |
| Ayrton Senna | 32 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Nigel Mansell | 16 | 1990 | |
| Jean Alesi | 15 | 1991 | |
| Damon Hill | 16 | 1993 |
Formula One Record
| Year | Entrant | Team | Pts | WDC Pos. | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren-Ford Cosworth | 5 | 16th | Report |
| 1981 | Equipe Renault Elf | Renault | 43 | 5th | Report |
| 1982 | Equipe Renault Elf | Renault | 34 | 4th | Report |
| 1983 | Equipe Renault Elf | Renault | 57 | 2nd | Report |
| 1984 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren-TAG | 71.5 | 2nd | Report |
| 1985 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren-TAG | 73 (76) | 1st | Report |
| 1986 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren-TAG | 72 (74) | 1st | Report |
| 1987 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren-TAG | 46 | 4th | Report |
| 1988 | Honda Marlboro McLaren | McLaren-Honda | 87 (105) | 2nd | Report |
| 1989 | Honda Marlboro McLaren | McLaren-Honda | 76 (81) | 1st | Report |
| 1990 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 71 (73) | 2nd | Report |
| 1991 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 34 | 5th | Report |
| 1992 | Ligier Gitanes Blondes | Ligier-Renault | Test Driver | ||
| 1993 | Canon Williams Renault | Williams-Renault | 99 | 1st | Report |
| 1996 | Marlboro McLaren Mercedes | McLaren-Mercedes | Test Driver | ||
Race Wins
| No. | Race | No. | Race. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1981 French Grand Prix | 27 | 1987 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1981 Dutch Grand Prix | 28 | 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1981 Italian Grand Prix | 29 | 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1982 South African Grand Prix | 30 | 1988 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix | 31 | 1988 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 6 | 1983 French Grand Prix | 32 | 1988 French Grand Prix |
| 7 | 1983 Belgian Grand Prix | 33 | 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| 8 | 1983 British Grand Prix | 34 | 1988 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 9 | 1983 Austrian Grand Prix | 35 | 1988 Australian Grand Prix |
| 10 | 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix | 36 | 1989 United States Grand Prix |
| 11 | 1984 San Marino Grand Prix | 37 | 1989 French Grand Prix |
| 12 | 1984 Monaco Grand Prix | 38 | 1989 British Grand Prix |
| 13 | 1984 German Grand Prix | 39 | 1989 Italian Grand Prix |
| 14 | 1984 Dutch Grand Prix | 40 | 1990 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 15 | 1984 European Grand Prix | 41 | 1990 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 16 | 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix | 42 | 1990 French Grand Prix |
| 17 | 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix | 43 | 1990 British Grand Prix |
| 18 | 1985 Monaco Grand Prix | 44 | 1990 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 19 | 1985 British Grand Prix | 45 | 1993 South African Grand Prix |
| 20 | 1985 Austrian Grand Prix | 46 | 1993 San Marino Grand Prix |
| 21 | 1985 Italian Grand Prix | 47 | 1993 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 22 | 1986 San Marino Grand Prix | 48 | 1993 Canadian Grand Prix |
| 23 | 1986 Monaco Grand Prix | 49 | 1993 French Grand Prix |
| 24 | 1986 Austrian Grand Prix | 50 | 1993 British Grand Prix |
| 25 | 1986 Australian Grand Prix | 51 | 1993 German Grand Prix |
| 26 | 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One Results
Scores in brackets are gross scores; only the best results were counted. Between 1981 and 1990, only the best eleven scores were counted.
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Marlboro Team McLaren | McLaren M29B | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 6 | BRA 5 | RSA DNS | USW | 16th | 5 | ||||||||||||
| McLaren M29C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BEL Ret | MON Ret | FRA Ret | GBR 6 | GER 11 | AUT 7 | 16th | 5 | ||||||||||||
| McLaren M30 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | NED 6 | ITA 7 | CAN Ret | USA DNS | 16th | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| 1981 | Equipe Renault Elf | Renault RE20B | Renault EF1 1.5 V6 t | USW Ret | BRA Ret | ARG 3 | SMR Ret | BEL Ret | 5th | 43 | |||||||||||
| Renault RE30 | Renault EF1 1.5 V6 t | MON Ret | ESP Ret | FRA 1 | GBR Ret | GER 2 | AUT Ret | NED 1 | ITA 1 | CAN Ret | CPL 2 | 5th | 43 | ||||||||
| 1982 | Equipe Renault Elf | Renault RE30B | Renault EF1 1.5 V6 t | RSA 1 | BRA 1 | USW Ret | SMR Ret | BEL Ret | MON 7 † | DET NC | CAN Ret | NED Ret | GBR 6 | FRA 2 | GER Ret | AUT 8 † | SUI 2 | ITA Ret | CPL 4 | 4th | 34 |
| 1983 | Equipe Renault Elf | Renault RE30C | Renault EF1 1.5 V6 t | BRA 7 | 2nd | 57 | |||||||||||||||
| Renault RE40 | Renault EF1 1.5 V6 t | USW 11 | FRA 1 | SMR 2 | MON 3 | BEL 1 | DET 8 | CAN 5 | GBR 1 | GER 4 | AUT 1 | NED Ret | ITA Ret | EUR 2 | RSA Ret | 2nd | 57 | ||||
| 1984 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/2 | TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6 t | BRA 1 | RSA 2 | BEL Ret | SMR 1 | FRA 7 | MON 1 ‡ | CAN 3 | DET 4 | DAL Ret | GBR Ret | GER 1 | AUT Ret | NED 1 | ITA Ret | EUR 1 | POR 1 | 2nd | 71.5 |
| 1985 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/2B | TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6 t | BRA 1 | POR Ret | SMR DSQ | MON 1 | CAN 3 | DET Ret | FRA 3 | GBR 1 | GER 2 | AUT 1 | NED 2 | ITA 1 | BEL 3 | EUR 4 | RSA 3 | AUS Ret | 1st | 73 (76) |
| 1986 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/2C | TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6 t | BRA Ret | ESP 3 | SMR 1 | MON 1 | BEL 6 | CAN 2 | DET 3 | FRA 2 | GBR 3 | GER 6 † | HUN Ret | AUT 1 | ITA DSQ | POR 2 | MEX 2 | AUS 1 | 1st | 72 (74) |
| 1987 | Marlboro McLaren International | McLaren MP4/3 | TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6 t | BRA 1 | SMR Ret | BEL 1 | MON 9 † | DET 3 | FRA 3 | GBR Ret | GER 7 † | HUN 3 | AUT 6 | ITA 15 | POR 1 | ESP 2 | MEX Ret | JPN 7 | AUS Ret | 4th | 46 |
| 1988 | Honda Marlboro McLaren | McLaren MP4/4 | Honda RA168E 1.5 V6 t | BRA 1 | SMR 2 | MON 1 | MEX 1 | CAN 2 | DET 2 | FRA 1 | GBR Ret | GER 2 | HUN 2 | BEL 2 | ITA Ret | POR 1 | ESP 1 | JPN 2 | AUS 1 | 2nd | 87 (105) |
| 1989 | Honda Marlboro McLaren | McLaren MP4/5 | Honda RA109E 3.5 V10 | BRA 2 | SMR 2 | MON 2 | MEX 5 | USA 1 | CAN Ret | FRA 1 | GBR 1 | GER 2 | HUN 4 | BEL 2 | ITA 1 | POR 2 | ESP 3 | JPN Ret | AUS Ret | 1st | 76 (81) |
| 1990 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 641 | Ferrari 036 3.5 V12 Ferrari 037 3.5 V12 | USA Ret | BRA 1 | SMR 4 | MON Ret | 2nd | 71 (73) | ||||||||||||
| Ferrari 641/2 | Ferrari 036 3.5 V12 Ferrari 037 3.5 V12 | CAN 5 | MEX 1 | FRA 1 | GBR 1 | GER 4 | HUN Ret | BEL 2 | ITA 2 | POR 3 | ESP 1 | JPN Ret | AUS 3 | 2nd | 71 (73) | ||||||
| 1991 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 642 | Ferrari 037 3.5 V12 | USA 2 | BRA 4 | SMR DNS | MON 5 | CAN Ret | MEX Ret | 5th | 34 | ||||||||||
| Ferrari 643 | Ferrari 037 3.5 V12 | FRA 2 | GBR 3 | GER Ret | HUN Ret | BEL Ret | ITA 3 | POR Ret | ESP 2 | JPN 4 | AUS | 5th | 34 | ||||||||
| 1993 | Canon Williams Renault | Williams FW15C | Renault RS5 3.5 V10 | RSA 1 | BRA Ret | EUR 3 | SMR 1 | ESP 1 | MON 4 | CAN 1 | FRA 1 | GBR 1 | GER 1 | HUN 12 | BEL 3 | ITA 12 † | POR 2 | JPN 2 | AUS 2 | 1st | 99 |
‡ Race was stopped with less than 75% of laps completed, half points awarded.
Sources: Wikipedia.com, fandom.com, and statsf1.com
