Formula 1 has produced many rivalries, but none quite like Ayrton Senna against Alain Prost. Two of the greatest drivers in history shared a team, fought for championships and clashed on and off the track. In Part 4 of The Greatest Rivalries in Sport, we look at the feud that defined an era of motor racing.
The Professor and the prodigy
Alain Prost, from France, born in 1955, was nicknamed "The Professor" for his calculated, smooth and intelligent driving. He focused on winning championships, not just individual races, and had already won world titles in 1985 and 1986.
Ayrton Senna, from Brazil, born in 1960, was spectacularly fast, especially in qualifying and in the rain. He drove with intense passion and a near-spiritual focus, and was willing to take enormous risks.
Teammates at McLaren
In 1988 Senna joined Prost at McLaren, which had Honda engines and the dominant car. The pair won 15 of 16 races that season. Senna took the championship, but tension grew, especially after Senna squeezed Prost towards the pit wall at high speed in Portugal.
1989: Suzuka, part one
By 1989 relations had broken down, and Prost felt the team favoured Senna. At the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Prost led the championship. Late in the race, Senna tried to pass at the chicane; Prost turned in, and the cars locked together.
Prost retired from the race. Senna was pushed back onto the track, pitted for a new nose and won, but he was disqualified for cutting the chicane and receiving outside assistance. Prost became champion. Senna was furious with the sport's governing body, accusing it of bias.
1990: Suzuka, part two
Prost moved to Ferrari for 1990. Again the title fight reached Suzuka, this time with Senna leading. Senna was unhappy that pole position was on the dirtier side of the track. At the very first corner, Senna drove into Prost at high speed, and both cars were out. Senna became champion.
A year later, Senna admitted he had deliberately not avoided the collision, saying it was revenge for the previous year's decisions. The incident remains one of the most controversial moments in F1 history.
Final years
Senna won a third title in 1991. Prost took a year away from racing in 1992, then returned with Williams in 1993 and won his fourth championship before retiring. At his last race in Australia, Senna, who won that day, pulled Prost onto the top step of the podium, a sign of thawing relations.
Tragedy at Imola
On 1 May 1994, Senna died after crashing at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, a day after the death of Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger. The loss shocked the world and led to major safety improvements in Formula 1. Prost was one of the pallbearers at Senna's funeral in São Paulo and later became a trustee of the Ayrton Senna Foundation, which supports children in Brazil.
By the numbers
- Prost: four world championships (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993) and 51 race wins.
- Senna: three world championships (1988, 1990, 1991) and 41 race wins, plus 65 pole positions.
Why it matters
Senna versus Prost combined two contrasting philosophies of racing, one of precision and strategy, one of raw speed and passion. Their rivalry is still debated by fans and was the subject of documentaries and films. It also showed how intense competition can push people to the edge of what is acceptable.
In Part 5, we move to basketball and the rivalry that saved the NBA: Magic Johnson against Larry Bird.
The Greatest Rivalries in Sport: the full series
- Part 1: Federer vs Nadal
- Part 2: Ali vs Frazier
- Part 3: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
- Part 4: Senna vs Prost (you are here)
- Part 5: Magic vs Bird
- Part 6: The Ashes
- Part 7: Borg vs McEnroe
- Part 8: Evert vs Navratilova
- Part 9: Yankees vs Red Sox
- Part 10: Coe vs Ovett
Records, scores and statistics are commonly cited figures and may vary slightly between sources.
