Philippe Folgado // Photo credit: GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / AFP
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost are inseparable. The two drivers gave Formula 1 one of the greatest rivalries in its history. As the thirtieth anniversary of the disappearance of the triple Brazilian world champion rings, Alain Prost speaks to Jacques Vendroux on this rivalry with “Magic Senna”, his memories, but also on the impact that can still have today today, the Brazilian pilot.
“A myth cannot be explained,” says Alain Prost
The two world champions competed against each other on Formula 1 tracks around the world for almost a decade. 10 years during which their relationship evolved: “I have a lot of memories in the end. When I take the first year, [en 1988, ndlr] we were complicit adversaries. What I keep as a great memory is rather the relationships that we were able to have when I stopped at the end of 1993, until his accident on May 1, 1994.” In this period, which lasted only a few months, the relationship between the two men has “become much more human in intimacy again”.
This rivalry nevertheless remains a “quite incredible memory”. “It’s true that we left an absolutely indelible mark on history,” remembers “the Professor”. However, Ayrton Senna is not the only world champion that Alain Prost has had to face: “One has the impression that my entire career has been solely associated with Ayrton Senna, while I have had five world champions as teammates. But at the same time, he made history…”.
“Myth, legend”, for Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna “it is not only a prize list, it has marked people in an incredible way. It cannot be explained, but it has really become the myth of the motor racing, more than Juan Manuel Fangio, than many other drivers. He is truly unique in people’s memories,” confides the French driver.
A memory that is still very vivid since, as he reveals: “Not a day goes by without someone talking to me about Ayrton. On a daily basis, I have messages from Brazilians absolutely every day. It’s my most big community on social networks and there, I see how much he impacted people. The fans who supported Senna also supported me indirectly.