The four-time F1 world champion spoke of the public's heightened reactions to him when he was at the height of his glory.
Quadruple world champion and winner of 51 Grands Prix, Alain Prost is considered one of the greatest drivers in F1 history. In the 80s, he was one of the emblematic faces of French sport. However, the man who was nicknamed “The Professor” did not enjoy the same popularity as Bernard Hinault, Michel Platini or Yannick Noah, his contemporary figures.
Despite his success, Alain Prost even had to deal with the mistrust of a certain part of the public, or even more. A moment that marked him with a hot iron. “I had a really bad experience with it, because, more than 40 years later, I still think about it”he confided to Clique before discussing the reasons for this unpopularity.
Forced to leave France
“It came, I think, in two stages. In 1981, when there was the election of François Mitterrand, I took political positions, maybe I shouldn't have, but in the end, sincerely, I didn't say anything exceptional »he said, adding: “Second event was 1982, at the French Grand Prix, the incident with René Arnoux. There's a team order he's not following, but in the end, I'm the one who comes across as the bastard. »
A wave of hatred would follow which would push him to settle in Switzerland. “It was at that moment, a few weeks later, that I decided to leave France, because there, I really had messages, a burned car, messages of death. I was spat on in the street, in the car. It's happened to me once or twice, it's very strange, he explained. This is where I discovered the 50/50 of this somewhat French mentality, which means that you have people who adore you, they think what you do is great and then others who are a mixture of jealousy and hatred. For what ? I don't know. »
France
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