If Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are the worthy successors of Alain Prost, the two young drivers are still very far from the incredible track record of the man nicknamed “the professor” when he reigned over the Formula 1 championship. In 13 years on circuits around the world, the native of Lorette (Loire) has amassed no less than 51 victories and 106 podiums in teams as prestigious as McLaren, Renault, Williams and of course Ferrari. World champion 4 times in his career, the one who treated himself to a dream vacation on a boat on the open sea with his wife and his lovely daughter Victoria will remain for a long time to come as the best French pilot in history and one of the greatest athletes in France, all sports combined.
Despite his incredible success and his popularity almost everywhere on the planet, Alain Prost has experienced very complicated times in his career. While Canal+ pays him a beautiful tribute with the documentary, soberly titled Prostwhich traces his career, the pilot who separated from his first wife Anne-Marie after 37 years of marriage, is the guest of the show Clique. The opportunity for him to look back on his career and the more complicated moments he had, particularly when the public took a dislike to him. When Mouloud Achour asks him how he experienced this period, the world champion doesn't beat around the bush: “Very bad, because, more than 40 years later, I still think about it“.
A “50/50” mentality for Alain Prost
A traumatic period for the former pilot who spent a special day alongside his wife for their daughter's birthday last year, but which he is trying to explain today. “It has come, I think, in two stages. In 1981, when there was the election of François Mitterrand, I took political positionsmaybe I shouldn't have, but in the end, sincerely, I didn't say anything exceptional (…) Second event was 1982, at the French Grand Prix, the incident with René Arnoux. There's a team order that he doesn't respect, but in the end, I'm the one who comes across as the bastard.”analyzes Alain Prost today.
Two events which will trigger a wave of hatred against him. “It was at that moment, a few weeks later, that I decide to leave Francebecause there, I really have messages, a burned carmessages of death. I made myself spit on in the street, in the car. It's happened to me once or twice, it's very strange.”explains the man who is the father of three children Nicolas, Sacha, Victoria. From this time, Alain Prost drew an observation about the French which he shares for Clique : “That’s where I discovered the 50/50 of this slightly French mentalitywhich means that you have people who adore youthey think what you do is great and then others who are a mixture of jealousy and hatred. For what ? I don't know”.
