Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost had one of the greatest rivalries of Formula 1, as they battled to be the world champion in the late 80s and early 90s.
Their rivalry peaked when they were teammates at McLaren, winning 25 of 32 Grands Prix including 11 races consecutively from the start of 1988.
Senna had more race wins (14 – 11) and poles (26 – 4) than Prost, however, the Frenchman led Senna on fastest laps (12 – 6), podiums (25 – 18) and points scored (163 – 150).
They were undoubtedly two of the greatest drivers of their time and with Prost now reaching the age of 70 years old, his legacy in F1 has stood the test of time for being one of France’s most successful drivers.
Karun Chandhok believes if Prost was teammates with Michael Schumacher, he would have been effective if he had the chance at Benetton later in his career.
When discussing their rivalry in his book, Life to the Limit, 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button picks who his favourite is out of the pair.
Jenson Button chooses Alain Prost as favourite F1 driver
Button was always compared to Prost during his time in F1, largely due to his ability to extract the most out of changeable conditions.
The Briton’s talents in those conditions were on display when he won the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, having dropped all the way down to last place and incurred a drive-thru penalty.
Out of the two legendary McLaren drivers, Button chose Prost as his favourite because of one strength that he had over Senna.
“Of the two [Senna and Prost], my favourite was Alain. I just liked his personality and the way he came across on TV. Very calm and not emotional like Ayrton. I still had respect for Ayrton, but even so I chose Alain as my driver to follow and when you chose one you can’t have two,” wrote Button.
“Looking back now, Ayrton was a faster driver than Alain over one lap. But Alain was very calculated and intelligent, and did everything he could to win. He knew it was about being quick over a distance, not just one lap.”
Alain Prost makes Niki Lauda comparison to Max Verstappen
Prost was recently asked about which driver he thinks is most comparable to those who he raced against in F1, making one surprising comparison.
The Frenchman compared Niki Lauda to Max Verstappen, largely due to the fact that he is direct like the Austrian and gives honest answers.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton told to take inspiration from his hero Niki Lauda in Ferrari battle with Charles Leclerc
Verstappen is also known for being direct in the F1 paddock, although his nature can sometimes land him in hot water on track.
The Dutchman was also handed community service by the FIA for swearing in a press conference, something that was probably unlikely in the days of Prost and Senna.
