Alain Prost

French racing driver

The Professor and his four crowns

Alain Prost became France's first world champion, won four titles across McLaren and Williams, and retired holding the record for Grand Prix wins.

Alain Prost was born in Lorette, in the Loire department of France, on 24 February 1955. He found karting at 14 and moved into single seaters in 1976, collecting French and European junior titles on the way up and finishing that climb as European Formula Three champion in 1979.

McLaren gave him his Formula 1 debut at the 1980 Argentine Grand Prix, where he scored on his first start. He moved to Renault for 1981 and won his home race in France, then added the Dutch and Italian rounds before the season was out. After finishing second to Nelson Piquet in 1983 he went back to McLaren, lost the 1984 title to teammate Niki Lauda by half a point, and in 1985 became the first world champion from France. He kept the crown in 1986.

The arrival of Ayrton Senna at McLaren in 1988 began the most famous rivalry of the period. Their cars won all but one race that year, with Senna taking the title, and the next two championships were both settled at Suzuka, Prost winning in 1989 and Senna in 1990, when Prost was driving for Ferrari. He scored five wins in that first Ferrari season, but 1991 brought none, and he left the team before it ended.

After a year away he joined Williams for 1993, won seven times and took his fourth title before retiring. His career ended with 199 starts, 51 wins, 33 pole positions, 41 fastest laps and 106 podiums. He later owned the Prost Grand Prix team, won the Andros Trophy ice racing series three times, and served Renault in an advisory role.

4 world titles, 51 wins, 33 pole positions, 199 starts.

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