Alain Prost doesn’t feel like celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death. He says, “I can answer these questions about him, no problem – he was an exceptional guy – but I just don’t see it the same way as the other guys do.”
Their story starts with their intense rivalry in Formula 1. They were teammates at McLaren in 1988, but things got heated when Senna pushed Prost aggressively during a race in Estoril. This marked the beginning of their rivalry.
The real clash happened in Imola in 1989. Senna passed Prost in a way that Prost didn’t like, and their conflict grew. They even collided in two championship-deciding races in Suzuka in 1989 and 1990.
After Prost retired in 1993, they became friends. This was surprising given their past. Prost says, “I keep the last six months [of his life] in mind. That’s when I knew Ayrton much more than ever before. He was a completely different person.”
Despite their fierce competition, Prost saw Senna’s focus on beating him as a compliment. He remembers their last interactions fondly, especially their talks about improving safety in F1.
Prost was at Imola in 1994 when Senna died. He spoke to Senna multiple times that weekend, and they discussed safety concerns and Senna’s frustrations about other teams’ cars.
Looking back, Prost prefers to remember Senna as the person he became in their final months together, rather than dwelling on the bitter moments of their rivalry.
