F1 News
Formula 1 legend Alain Prost reaches retirement age
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost was once the most successful driver in the history of the sport. A few decades later and he is still high up in the all-time list standings. He currently sits fourth in the number of wins, behind Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. A career we can look back on as the Frenchman celebrates his 65th birthday.
Prost thus became world champion four times and won a total of 51 Grand Prix victories. Only in 2001 was that number surpassed by Michael Schumacher. What made the career that 'le Professeur' special was the different teams with which he was successful. For every team he competed for, he managed to win.
The driver of the 80s
He started his Formula 1 career in 1980 with McLaren, but it wasn't the easiest of times for McLaren. After just one season, he switched across to the Renault factory team. Being French, it seemed like the dream combination for both team and driver. He won nine races during his stint at Renault, and almost won the world championship in 1983.
He then returned to McLaren in 1984, a team who were reestablishing themselves. They went on to dominate the back-half of the '80s and Prost won the championship in 1989 for the second time. After a short stint at Ferrari, Prost would repeat this success once more in 1993 at Williams.
Quarrel at McLaren and Ferrari, among others
Despite the successes, Prost left all those teams with a certain degree of disagreement. As a French driver, he was under too much pressure with Renault, with McLaren he had a fight with his teammate Ayrton Senna and with Ferrari, he was prematurely dismissed because he openly criticised the team.
Yet Prost is a widely respected figure in the world of Formula 1. He can still be found in the paddock as one of the leaders at Renault and can, therefore, count on the necessary congratulations.
This article originated on the GPblog.com/nl website. It was written by Pelle Gerritsen
