Prost & Schumacher @ Ferrari

[ArrowsFA1]

An interesting aside from Alain Prost here (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77630):


"In 1994 McLaren asked me to take the wheel. I conducted three days of testing and I immediately realised that something was broken. The speed was there, but not the will to manage the pressure, travel and media that comes with a championship contest.
"A year later, Jean Todt suggested that I become team-mate to Schumacher to help him become champion at Ferrari. I would have been clearly number two, which was ok - I almost drove, but finally I did not, for the same reasons."
I hadn't ever heard this possibility being mentioned before and the idea of Prost and Schumacher as team-mates at Ferrari in 1996 would have been an interesting one. But, would Prost really have accepted being #2? He had, after all, been WDC himself just a couple of years before.

[DexDexter]

An interesting aside from Alain Prost here (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77630):

I hadn't ever heard this possibility being mentioned before and the idea of Prost and Schumacher as team-mates at Ferrari in 1996 would have been an interesting one. But, would Prost really have accepted being #2? He had, after all, been WDC himself just a couple of years before.

Very interesting indeed. Strange words from Prost since he was always quite adamant about being the number 1 driver, for example Senna complained in 92 that Prost had a contract with Williams which prohibited Senna from being his team mate.

[Sonic]

IIRC Prost was still testing McLaren's all the way to 1996, and he was....well for want of a better word....slow. So perhaps in his old age he is forgetting his history :p :

[jens]

I thought Prost promised to himself never to race in F1 again after Senna's death, so I don't think 1996 Ferrari drive was ever a serious option.

[christophulus]

In 1996 Prost would've been 41 I think? Bit old to be making a serious commitment to racing another full season.

[Saint Devote]

I thought Prost promised to himself never to race in F1 again after Senna's death, so I don't think 1996 Ferrari drive was ever a serious option.

That does not sound like Alain Prost making such silly statements.

[Saint Devote]

Very interesting indeed. Strange words from Prost since he was always quite adamant about being the number 1 driver, for example Senna complained in 92 that Prost had a contract with Williams which prohibited Senna from being his team mate.

Prost was the one that recommended him to Mclaren - he never had any problems about who his teammate was.

The first person to want to sign Senna was Bernie Ecclestone - but Piquet went ballistic and made a call to his friend, the head of Parmalat and he prevented Brabham from signing Senna.

Prost at Mclaren had no idea that Senna was a political animal to the core - when at Mclaren he was well aware what sort of problems he would encounter with Senna as teammate.

[52Paddy]

An interesting aside from Alain Prost here (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77630):

I hadn't ever heard this possibility being mentioned before and the idea of Prost and Schumacher as team-mates at Ferrari in 1996 would have been an interesting one. But, would Prost really have accepted being #2? He had, after all, been WDC himself just a couple of years before.

I'm surprised to read this myself!!

I'm not too sure how Prost would have coped with being #2; I can't honestly give a decent opinion on that.

However, I'm glad, for Prost's sake, that this didn't materialise. The 1996 Ferrari was such a dog (though a step in the right direction later on in the season IIRC.) Having seen what happened to Mansell the year before, and adding the fact that Prost left the sport at the top of his game, I'd be very surprised if he ever really considered a comeback genuinely feasible.