Alain Prost

See also: Prost

Alain Prost (born on February 24th, 1955 with Lorette in the the Loire) is a French racing driver. Quadruple world champion of the pilots of Formula 1 in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993, victorious of 51 Grand Prix of Formula 1 between 1980 with 1993, that which one calls the Professor is regarded as one of the largest pilots of the history of his sport.

Biography

Alain Prost, wire of Andre Prost and Marie-Rose Karatchian (born in France of Armenian mother), were born with Lorette, a city located at about fifteen kilometers of Saint-Chamond in the the Loire, where he lived all his childhood and adolescence with his older brother Daniel Prost. Teenager it practices many sports such as the Football. He considers a career of professor of Gymnastique before discovering the Karting at the 14 years lasting age of the family holidays. This discovery will determine its future sporting career.

The beginnings (1972-1980)

Champion of Europe juniors of karting in 1972, then champion of France of karting in 1974, it passes to the automobile sport in 1974. Prize winner of the Stealing Elf in 1976, then author of a domination crushing in Formula Renault and Formula 3 (in the championship European nationals then), Alain Prost carries out his first turns of wheel in Formule 1 fine 1979, on a McLaren. At the time of a comparative test with the hope Kevin Cogan, Prost subjugates the director of the stable Teddy Mayer by producing better stopwatches that John Watson, the titular pilot of the stable, which is worth to him to be recruited for the following season. As of its first year, Prost is affirmed like one of the most promising pilots of its generation, but the mediocrity of its material does not enable him to fight with the best. End 1980, and in spite of the arrival at McLaren of a news and ambitious executive team (with at her head Ron Refusals), Prost joined the French stable Renault.

The years Renault F1 (1981-1983)

In 1981, Prost takes down its first victory in F1 at the time of the Grand Prix of France over the Road racing set of Dijon-Prenois. Then, in 1982, after a thundering beginning of the season, it is affirmed like the favorite for the championship. But some mistakes of youth, as well as the often random reliability of its car (without speaking about its against-productive competition with its team-member Rene Arnoux) make him however miss a title with its range. New failure in 1983, where after a first part of perfectly controlled season, it is beaten on the wire by Nelson Piquet and its Brabham - BMW, whose gasoline is always suspected of not being itself formed with the payment (on request of the tanker Elf, Renault did not carry complaint against Brabham-BMW). This defeat is synonymous with brutal divorce with the Renault stable, with which its reports/ratios (and in particular with the sport director Gerard Larrousse) had worsened with the wire of the months. Free Prost left by Renault, the McLaren stable does not let pass the occasion to recover that, which in spite of its two successive failures with the championship, is then regarded as the best pilot of the world.

First world titles with McLaren-TAG (1984-1987)

The McLaren team that Prost finds beginning 1984 does not have great any more a deal to see with that which it had left fine 1980. Under the impulse of its managing director Ron Refusals, brilliance engineer John Barnard and of the motor mechanic Porsche, it became the best stable of the plate. Dominator in track, Prost is however again demolishes with the championship. He inclines himself indeed for half-time vis-a-vis his team-member Niki Lauda, more regular. But in 1985, Prost easily takes down its first world title of the pilots, as of the antepenultimate race of the year with Brands Hatch in England. He repeats in 1986 at the conclusion of final with suspense in the streets of Adelaïde in Australia, place of the ultimate sleeve of the season, vis-a-vis the pilots Williams - Honda (Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet), however better armed than him. In 1987, decline of the McLaren - TAG Porsche continues, and Prost is this time impotent vis-a-vis Williams-Honda. But the French returns in the history by gaining to the Portugal the 28e victory of his career, thus beating the record of Jackie Stewart which went back to 1973.

Competition with Senna at McLaren-Honda (1988-1989)

In 1988, McLaren find of their superb by exchanging their engine TAG Porsche for an engine Honda. But this arrival of the motor mechanic Japan board is accompanied by that of the young wonder Brésil IEN Ayrton Senna, thus letting forecast a formidable internal competition. This year, the McLaren pilots gain 15 of the 16 tests of the season. In spite of a total score higher than that of Senna, Prost is however beaten with the championship, the payment of the championship 1988 specifying that a pilot could enter only his 11 better results of the year.

The French takes his revenge the following year, in an execrable environment. Because if the relationship between Prost and Senna had remained cordial in 1988 in spite of their competition exacerbated in track and the suspicions of favoritism of Honda with regard to Senna, they degenerate into 1989, following non-observance by Senna of a non-aggression pact at the beginning of the automobile Grand Prix of San Marino, at the beginning of season. This incident will mark the kickoff of a verbal climbing between the two men, learnedly relayed by the media. Prost gains finally the title at the conclusion of the automobile Grand Prix of Japan marked by its famous fixing with Senna in end of the road, and the so much discussed disqualification of the Brazilian pilot, who had victoriously taken again the track.

The years Ferrari (1990-1991)

Passed at Ferrari in 1990, Prost finds Senna on its road and the duel begins again, with as a conclusion a new fixing on the layout of Suzuka to the Japan, this time as of the first turn. By dispatching Prost out-track knowingly, Senna reconquers the world title.

Always at Ferrari in 1991, Prost is not able to continue its duel with Senna because of the weak competitiveness of the cars Italy. The day before ultimate the one season old handle disastrous and marked by many internal political movements, Prost is even dismissed by Scuderia. Without wheel interesting for the season 1992, and following the failure of its negotiations with Ligier, Prost agrees one sabbatical year

Victorious return Williams Renault (1993)

In 1993 Alain Prost carries out a victorious return at Williams - Renault in 1993 where it takes down its fourth championship of the world of the pilots. But, exhausted at the end one year during which it will have been saved neither by criticisms (including those of its employer), nor by certain tendentious decisions of the sporting capacity, Prost prefers to draw its reverence.

The stable Prost Grand Prix (1997-2001)

At the conclusion of its career of pilot of Formula 1, Prost deserted step Bed S. Consulting on behalf of television channel TF1 (function which it had already occupied in 1992), Prost carries out in 1995 its return to McLaren, in a role of adviser technical and pilot tester. He hesitates several times (as of January 1994, in particular, during its tests for McLaren - Peugeot) to return to the competition, without however concretizing by an official return in Grand Prix. In February 1997, it repurchases the stable Ligier with Flavio Briatore, and Prost Grand Prix renames it. For Prost, it is the concretization of an old dream. On several occasions already, it had planned to assemble its own team. A first project had been considered current 1989 (Prost had finally decided to continue its career of pilot and to engage with Ferrari), and in a more concrete way, it had been near to investing at Ligier (at the time still held by Guy Ligier) beginning 1992. In spite of some meetings of tests very mediatized, the negotiations had not led and Prost had agreed one sabbatical year.

But, at the conclusion five overall disappointing seasons (two second places with the automobile Grand Prix of Spain 1997 and with the automobile Grand Prix of Europe 1999 like better results), the stable Prost Grand Prix is forced to close its doors, for lack of financial supports for lack of results, beginning 2002.

After Prost Grand Prix

After a first conclusive test in 2003, Prost carries out its return to the competition by taking part in the Trophée Andros 2004 (a series of races on ice) in the wheel of a Toyota Corolla. As of its first complete season, it gains several tests, and finishes second with general classification behind the specialist in the discipline Yvan Muller. It gains the general classification of the test in 2007.

In 2005, it also took again the wheel of category Grand tourism associated with Jean-Pierre Jabouille, like with his/her son Nicolas Prost, lack very little a victory on the circuit of Magny-Course.

Political commitment

Alain Prost forever hidden his proximity with Jacques Chirac which it supported at the time of several presidential elections, like Nicolas Sarkozy more recently.

Research in Biocarburant E85 Flexfuel 2010

The June 7th 2006, Thierry Breton, Minister for the economy and finances, launched an work group on the project Polycarburant, aiming at developing a French die of the Bioéthanol. He entrusted the piloting of this work group on the Biocarburant to Alain Prost. The October 3rd 2006, the work group “Flexfuel 2010” made public his report/ratio, the “report/ratio Prost”, proposing a set of measures to develop the Superéthanol E85 in France.

Armenian genocide

Like other French personalities, Alain Prost has Armenian origins . He made a clear decision concerning the Turkish question and the Armenian genocide:

Private life

Alain Prost domiciled in Suisse since 1983 (with Muraz then with Nyon), and is married in Anne Marie Prost (born the February 14th 1955) with whom it had two children: Nicolas Prost (born the August 18th 1981) and Sacha (born the May 30th 1990).

Prize list

Out-F1

  • 1972 : Champion of Europe juniors of Karting
  • 1974: Champion of France of karting
  • 1976: Winner of the Wheel Elf
  • 1977: Champion of France of Formula Renault
  • 1977: Champion of Europe of Formula Renault
  • 1978 with 1979: Champion of France of Formula 3
  • 1979: Champion of Europe of Formula 3
  • 2006 with 2007: Winner of the Trophy Andros

In Formula 1

Comparison with team-members

During his career in F1, Alain Prost almost always registered more points than his team-members with the classification, five world champions included. The only exceptions were 1984, when Prost was beaten by Niki Lauda for half-time, and its first season in 1980, when John Watson preceded it of only one point (while having taken part in more races). In 1988, in spite of a number of higher points, Prost inclined itself with the championship in front of Senna, only the 11 best results being retained this season.

Victories in Championship of the world of Formula 1

See also: Victories of Alain Prost in Championship of the world of Formula 1

Various distinctions

  • Champion of the French champions of the newspaper '' the Team '' in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993.

Random links:O `to tkir Sultonov | (322) Phaeo | María Elena Velasco | Auneau | Henri Ier de Zutphen | Lebina | Konrad_Lorenz