Alain Prost considers McLaren to be ‘like my family’ after winning three of his four F1 drivers’ championships for them but would rather race for Ferrari in the 2025 season.
McLaren are widely believed to have the best car on the 2025 F1 grid after opening the term with back-to-back wins thanks to Lando Norris at the Australian Grand Prix plus Oscar Piastri in China. Ferrari, on the other hand, are fighting Red Bull and Mercedes to be the next best.
Fine margins have split F1’s top four teams during qualifying but McLaren hold an edge over a Grand Prix distance as their car is kinder to its tyres. Ferrari are concerned their 2025 car is more complex than they hoped for, too, after redesigning the front suspension of the SF-25.
Alain Prost would reject McLaren to help Ferrari return to the top of Formula 1
Yet Prost would rather race for Ferrari again if given the choice of joining any 2025 F1 team, rejecting drivers’ and constructors’ title-favourites McLaren. The Frenchman has one of the most coveted CVs in history having only raced for some of the biggest names to hit the grid.
Prost made his F1 debut with McLaren in the 1980 season before enjoying spells at Renault, McLaren again, Ferrari and lastly Williams. His move to Maranello for the 1990 term almost yielded another crown, too, as Prost finished second in the F1 drivers’ standings for Ferrari.
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He ultimately did not win a title with Ferrari before Prost sealed his fourth and final crown in 1993 with Williams before retiring. So, if given the choice of joining any 2025 F1 team, Prost would pick Ferrari over McLaren to help return the Scuderia to the top of Formula 1’s peak.
“In the current team? I think maybe Ferrari,” Prost told beIN Sports France. “Yeah, I think maybe Ferrari because McLaren are a bit like my family but I would have liked the Ferrari challenge, a bit like I did in ‘90 but to help them come back to the top.”
Ferrari and McLaren have not won the F1 drivers’ championship since 2007 and 2008
Ferrari have not won the F1 drivers’ championship since Kimi Raikkonen sealed his only title back in 2007. The Scuderia also last secured a constructors’ title in 2008 yet still remain by a long way the most successful squad with 16 – Williams and McLaren rank second with nine.
The challenges Ferrari are facing to perfect the SF-25 across the opening rounds may make it likely that Maranello waits for F1’s 2026 chassis and engine regulations for the Scuderia to win another title. But the prestige of giving Ferrari success is enough to take Prost’s interest.
Yet McLaren are long removed from winning the drivers’ title, too, with Lewis Hamilton back in 2008 the last person to seal a championship for the Woking team. Norris and Piastri could end that wait after ending McLaren’s teams’ title drought which went back to 1998 last year.
