Alain Prost might simply contend that he has raced alongside probably the most exceptional lineup of teammates in System 1 historical past.
Over the course of his illustrious profession, the Frenchman shared the grid with legendary figures similar to Niki Lauda, Keke Rosberg, Damon Hill, Ayrton Senna, and Nigel Mansell—a powerful record that options a number of world champions.
Moreover, Prost partnered with extremely succesful drivers like John Watson, Rene Arnoux, Jean Alesi, and Stefan Johansson, all of whom displayed distinctive pace and ability throughout their peaks.
That Alain Prost concluded his profession as a four-time System 1 world champion, regardless of competing in opposition to such a unprecedented roster of teammates, stands as a testomony to his unbelievable expertise and consistency.
Nonetheless, Alain Prost’s relationships along with his teammates diversified significantly. For example, after enduring a tumultuous interval as Ayrton Senna’s associate at McLaren, Prost actively prevented Senna from becoming a member of him on the Maranello staff. That call not directly enabled Senna to assert one other championship with McLaren the next 12 months. Prost’s reluctance to repeat the expertise of battling considered one of his fiercest rivals throughout the similar staff was evident. Conversely, Prost started his profession content material to play a supporting function to Lauda and held deep admiration for the Austrian throughout their time as teammates at McLaren.
When Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell turned Ferrari teammates throughout the 1990 season, the Frenchman decisively outperformed the Briton, although the title finally went to Senna. Regardless of this, their partnership was removed from harmonious.
In a 2018 interview on the *Past The Grid* podcast, Alain Prost make clear his strained relationship with Nigel Mansell, expressing his perception that the British driver’s emotions of ‘jealousy’ contributed to the stress throughout their tenure on the Italian facet.
The dynamics behind Nigel Mansell’s ‘jealousy’ towards Alain Prost at Ferrari
Prost was requested about his fame for seemingly forcing his teammates into retirement throughout his time in System 1. He acknowledged that Keke Rosberg had been considered one of his finest teammates, describing him as a real pal and a very good driver. Nonetheless, Prost famous that Rosberg could not have tailored properly to McLaren’s method and its philosophy for automobile setup, regardless of his ability.
Turning to Nigel Mansell, Prost remarked that Mansell was a unique case altogether, stating that he might by no means totally perceive why Mansell had been jealous, even mentioning that it stemmed from one thing as trivial as Prost having the ability to communicate Italian. He steered that such an perspective was unproductive.
In distinction, Prost highlighted his relationship with Niki Lauda, emphasizing that the 2 by no means had any points or arguments throughout their two years as teammates.
Nigel Mansell confirmed confidence in his rivalry with Alain Prost
The dynamic between Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost throughout their two seasons collectively at Ferrari supplied a compelling chapter in System 1 historical past.
Mansell ended the 1989 and 1990 seasons in fourth and fifth place, respectively, whereas Prost claimed the world championship of their debut 12 months as teammates. The next 12 months, Prost narrowly misplaced out on the title to Ayrton Senna, however he remained the stronger performer throughout the Ferrari camp.
Regardless of their time as teammates concluding after these two seasons, the aggressive stress between the 2 drivers continued to linger, holding their rivalry alive past their shared tenure at Ferrari.
Forward of the temporary Grand Prix Masters collection, the place Prost and Mansell had been anticipated to reunite, Mansell remarked, as reported by Autosport, that the rivalry between them remained robust. He famous that Prost was extremely aggressive and would do every part potential to safe victory, including that Prost significantly disliked shedding to anybody, particularly to him.
Nigel Mansell is satisfied he would have dominated Alain Prost in 1993 if he had remained in System 1 as a substitute of turning his consideration to the CART collection in the US.
Though the showdown between the 2 by no means materialized, Mansell appeared decided to show himself in opposition to Prost, who had as soon as steered that Mansell harbored ‘jealousy’ over his rapport with the Ferrari staff. The potential conflict between them stays one of many nice “what-ifs” of System 1 historical past.
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