Prost–Senna rivalry
The Prost–Senna rivalry, or Senna–Prost rivalry, was a Formula One rivalry between French racing driver Alain Prost and Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna. Widely regarded as one of the fiercest rivalries in Formula One history, Prost and Senna together won seven of nine Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles between and, including two whilst teammates at McLaren from to.
The rivalry peaked during their two-year period as teammates, as well as Prost's first year at Ferrari in, with the pair finishing 1–2 in each championship. Whilst teammates, Prost and Senna won 25 of 32 Grands Prix—including 11 consecutively from the start of 1988—with Senna winning the former title and Prost winning the latter. Senna led Prost 14–11 in race wins and 26–4 in pole positions; Prost held a 12–6 lead in fastest laps, 25–18 in podium finishes, and 163–150 in championship points. Their rivalry culminated in title-deciding collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and 1990, despite Prost's move to Ferrari in the latter, with Prost winning the former championship and Senna taking the following. They again finished 1–2 in the championship standings in, with Prost winning the title for Williams.
Whilst competing together in Formula One, both drivers traded accusations of dishonourable conduct and of receiving preferential treatment from external sources. Nonetheless, they held mutual respect for their driving abilities, and both admitted that they used the rivalry as motivation for success. Prost retired at the end of the 1993 season, three races before Senna's death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. At the end of their respective careers, Prost held the records for most wins, fastest laps, and podium finishes, whilst Senna held the record for most pole positions ; Prost won four World Drivers' Championships—three with McLaren and one with Williams—and Senna won three, all with McLaren.
Overview
The Prost–Senna rivalry is widely regarded as one of the fiercest rivalries in Formula One history. Formula One has described it as the competition's "defining rivalry." Prost and Senna are two of only eleven drivers with three or more World Drivers' Championships. They drove some of the most dominant cars in Formula One history, including the McLaren MP4/4, the McLaren MP4/5, and the Williams FW15C. Their rivalry was renowned for not only their success on track, but also their contrasting driving styles and personalities. Although various rating services have attempted to compare Prost and Senna, a 2022 meta-analysis found that "approaches that are more mathematical tend to favour Prost", while "there is a clear tendency towards Senna" in critic rankings and driver/fan polls.Driving styles
Senna was arguably the fastest single-lap driver in Formula One history. He had a "tendency to go flat out all the time," and was renowned for his "high-revving, curb-clipping, crowd-pleasing school of automobile racing, pitching cars around corners and braking hard on hairpins." However, he lost several wins because he disliked slowing down even when he was in the lead. By contrast, Prost employed a smooth, relaxed style behind the wheel, which allowed him to get the most out of his engines without driving them to failure. His mantra was to "win as slowly as possible." On and off track, the relentless nature of Senna's driving style sharply contrasted with the calculated nature of Prost's style. Prost recalled that "Ayrton didn't want to beat me, he wanted to destroy me."The two rivals were also distinguished by their attitudes towards risk. Senna charmed the crowd with risky overtakes and aggressive defense; McLaren's website writes that he "made it evident that he'd rather crash than give way." By contrast, Prost disliked taking risks on track, especially as he grew older; he particularly hated driving in the rain, which was one of Senna's greatest strengths. It is said that "Senna's highly aggressive, in-your-face style of driving almost rewrote the rules about racing in Formula One." Some of Senna's more controversial moves are now considered ordinary today. After the 1993 San Marino Grand Prix, Senna confronted Damon Hill about his weaving defense. Hill irreverently responded "that I was driving the way I had learned from watching him."
Even Prost and Senna's religious faith was dragged into the rivalry. Both drivers were Catholics, but Senna was said to have been more devout. Prost once quipped that on track, "I don't rely entirely on God, I rely on Prost." He theorized that Senna was willing to risk his life on track because he believed that if he died on track, he would go to heaven. Annoyed by the jibe, Senna replied that his faith "doesn’t mean I’m immortal... I am as scared as anyone of getting hurt."
Although Prost and Senna clashed on track, their strengths complemented each other as teammates. Because of Senna's single-lap dominance, Prost essentially conceded qualifying to Senna and focused on setting up his car for race day, a strategy he had learned from his years racing against Niki Lauda. Senna respected Prost's ability to set up a car and sometimes instructed his race engineers to copy Prost's setup on race day. Off track, Senna's ability to provide detailed technical feedback and willingness to spend long hours in the briefing room with his race engineers helped McLaren and Honda upgrade both drivers' cars.
Personalities
Senna cultivated a public image of "an inward-looking, aloof driver who is hard to get along with." With respect to his fellow drivers, this image was largely correct: unlike Prost, Senna distanced himself from most other racers, as he believed they were his competition. After Senna joined McLaren in 1988, Prost invited him to his house for lunch, but Senna "slept for two hours" and "hardly spoke at all," an act that a Honda employee thought was intentional. However, Senna helped other drivers in times of great need. He risked his own life to help save that of Érik Comas following the latter's crash during practice for the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix. He also sought to help Martin Donnelly after Donnelly suffered career-ending injuries at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix.Off track, Senna displayed a greater natural charisma than Prost, especially when he was in his native Brazil. Even in his early days at Lotus, he worked hard to build a good relationship with his engineers. At McLaren, Senna remembered minor details of even junior employees' lives and sent Christmas cards to every staffer on the team. McLaren acknowledged that Senna was Honda's "favourite child", but explained that it was "not just because he worked so hard for but because made every effort to understand them." Senna wept on camera when Honda announced its withdrawal from Formula One in late 1992. Decades later, Honda F1 director Masashi Yamamoto remarked that Honda admired Max Verstappen because, like Senna, Verstappen "pays respect to Honda" and publicly shared credit with Honda after winning the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix.
Background
Junior racing careers
Senna and Prost did not compete on track during their junior careers. Prost reached Formula One by winning the French senior karting championship and the 1979 European Formula Three titles. Senna won the South American karting championship before moving to England, where he won the 1983 British Formula Three title.Prost and Senna were highly touted prospects, and both skipped directly from Formula Three to Formula One. Even as rookies, they patiently looked for slots on title-contending teams. During the, Prost was offered late-season Formula One auditions at McLaren, Brabham, and Ligier, but declined them, hoping for the right opportunity to make a good first impression. He debuted with McLaren in. Senna came close to debuting with a title contender in the 1984 season, but was unlucky and ended up with backmarker Toleman.Due to competition for race seats, Senna's first clash with Prost actually came off track, as McLaren needed a second driver to partner Niki Lauda in 1984. In 1982, Senna had previously declined an offer to become a McLaren junior driver because Ron Dennis asked for a long-term commitment. Dennis granted him a test drive for the end of October 1983, but Renault unexpectedly fired Prost, the 1983 runner-up, in mid-October. Prost beat Senna to the punch and joined McLaren within a week. Senna tested for McLaren anyway, but without a drive at stake.
Senna salvaged a drive for 1984, though not without some difficulty. In November 1983, he tested with Brabham, the team of reigning Drivers' Champion Nelson Piquet. Although he impressed team boss Bernie Ecclestone, Piquet and Brabham's lead sponsor Parmalat both vetoed Senna from the team. Senna also tested with Williams as a courtesy, as Frank Williams already had two drivers for 1984 but was sympathetic to Senna's situation. Already eyeing his next move, Senna joined Toleman because it set a reasonable release clause of £100,000.
Senna's first opportunity to race Formula One champions in equal machinery came at a May 1984 exhibition race, the Nürburgring Race of Champions, which Mercedes-Benz had arranged to showcase the new 190 E 2.3-16. Although some of the racers took the race more seriously than others, Prost and Senna wanted to win and qualified first and third, respectively. Senna punted Prost off track in the early laps and held off Niki Lauda for the win.
Engine deals
Prost and Senna were two of the most skilled drivers in Formula One history, but they also raced in an era where the car was very important. The sport was dominated by Honda and Renault, two wealthy engine suppliers that claimed every Constructors' Championship from 1986 to 1997. Unlike the previous dominant engine manufacturer, Ford Cosworth, Honda and Renault practised a works-team system and carefully limited the number of teams with access to their engines. This meant that for most of the Prost-Senna era, only one team was a serious title contender in any given year. Prost and Senna's careers were defined by their struggles to get into that team.Once Prost and Senna proved their mettle on track, they wasted no time finding better cars. Each driver left his original team within a year. They both dealt ruthlessly with their rookie teams. Prost left McLaren with two years remaining on his contract, "leaving to sort out the legal niceties." Senna violated his Toleman contract by secretly negotiating with Lotus in mid-season, prompting Toleman to suspend him for one race.
As Senna and Prost became established drivers, their strategies shifted. Senna built a lasting relationship with Lotus' new engine supplier Honda, which rewarded him by brokering his move to McLaren in 1988. By contrast, Prost jumped from team to team, and always seemed to land in a title-contending car. After three years in a fast but unreliable Renault, Prost rejoined McLaren right as the British team signed a works deal with Porsche-TAG. Prost also joined Ferrari and Williams when both teams were on the upswing.
Both drivers went on to great success. Senna won three titles with Honda power, and his superior relationship with Honda effectively maneuvered Prost out of McLaren, leaving Senna as the unquestioned number one driver of the unquestioned best team in 1990 and 1991. However, his loyalty to Honda possibly cost him the 1992 and 1993 championships, as that loyalty compelled him to decline a job offer from Williams-Renault, the greatest team of the 1990s. By contrast, Prost frequently clashed with his teams; Formula One's website notes that he "left teams acrimoniously on four occasions." However, he posted only two winless seasons in his career, and his 1993 move to Williams allowed him to finish his career with four titles to Senna's three.