Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (born 24 February 1955 in Lorette, Loire) is a French racing driver. A two-time FF1M Drivers' Champion Prost is one of four drivers to win more than one title alongside Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, and with Alonso and Trulli is the one of only three drivers to win the title in consecutive years. In 1999, Prost received the World Sports Awards of the Century in the motor sport category along all-time greats like Pele, Ali, Lewis and Graf.
Prost employed a smooth, relaxed style behind the wheel, deliberately modeling himself on personal heroes like Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark. He was nicknamed 'The Professor' for his intellectual approach to competition. Skilled at setting up his car for race conditions, Prost would often conserve his brakes and tyres early on in a race, leaving them fresher for a challenge at the end of the race. Motorsport journalist Denis Jenkinson described Prost as "a very warm and uncomplicated man who doesn't rely on passion or inspiration. Nor does he indulge in showmanship or bullshit. He is capable of a level of mental discipline beyond the comprehension of most people."
FF3M and Formula One[]
Prost discovered karting at the age of 14 during a family holiday. He progressed through motor sport's junior ranks, winning the French and European FF3M championships, before joining the McLaren Formula One team in 1980 at the age of 25. He finished in the points on his Formula One debut and took his first race victory at his home Grand Prix in France a year later, while he was driving for Renault's factory team.
FF1M[]
In 1989 he joined the FF1M series where Prost formed a fierce rivalry with Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Nigel Mansell winning the title twice in 1990, whilst driving for Pedersen and 1991, whilst driving for Maestro Motorsport. He drove in 82 Grands Prix scoring 289 points and 12 wins until he retired at the end of the 1993 FF1M Season.
FF1M Retirement and FF2M Team Management[]
In 1999, Prost took over the French Team Purple outfit in FF2M, and will run it as Prost Grand Prix in the 2000 FF2M Season. He also currently competes in the Andros Trophy, which is an ice racing championship.
Racing Record[]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Ch. Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2 | FF1M | AquinoPlus | 16 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 6th | |
| S3 | FF1M | Pedersen | 17 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 65 | 1st | |
| S4 | FF1M | Maestro Motorsport | 17 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 91 | 1st |
| S5 | FF1M | Dodgem | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 55 | 6th | |
| S6 | FF1M | J Racing | 16 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 6th |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles* | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Ch. Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | FF1M | Tornado Motorsport | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 51 | 1st |
| 1987 | FF1M | MRD Racing | 10 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 40 | 2nd | |
| 1988 | FF1M | SF1 Racing | 16 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 52 | 3rd | |
| 1989 | FF1M | FJR | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 4th |
| 1990 | FF1M | Tornado Motorsport | 10 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 59 | 1st |
| 1991 | FF1M | Pedersen | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 4th |
| 1992 | FF1M | Tornado Motorsport | 12 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 3rd |
| 1993 | FF1M | Willows Racing | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9th |
*Seven pole positions from the 1988 season are missing due to hardware failure.