“I Was Ayrton Senna’s Source Of Motivation” – 4-time World Champion Reveals How His Retirement Softened His Archrival

Ayrton Senna’s rivalry with Alain Prost is undoubtedly one of Formula 1’s greatest ever. The two legends of the sport regularly locked horns between 1988 to 1993 when both of them were at their peaks and competed for titles.

Their rivalry intensified while both Prost and Senna were teammates at McLaren for the 1988 and 1989 seasons. The duo won 25 of the 32 races held during the 2 years with both drivers winning a championship amongst cut-throat competition from the other.

30 years following his retirement from the sport Prost still remembers his old rival well. And the Frenchman claims that he played an important role in making the Ayrton Senna we know today.

 

So much so that Senna felt an emptiness in the grid after his rival retired. And this rekindled a friendship that many never knew existed between the two legends.

Also Read: When Ron Dennis averted Ayrton Senna’s early retirement after controversial 1989 disqualification

How Senna and Prost became friends again

When someone remembers Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna’s fiery rivalry, images of their collision at Suzuka appear. In 1989 and 1990, both Senna and Prost clashed at the Japanese GP, effectively deciding the fate of the Championship.

This was at height of their rivalry. However, after winning his 4th title in 1993, Prost decided to retire from F1. This left a deep hole in his former teammate’s heart.

Senna won the 1993 Adelaide GP, Prost’s final race in F1. But the Brazilian invited his former rival at the top step of the podium in one of F1’s iconic pictures.

Prost reveals the two spoke often after that day, “We communicated so much the day after my retirement.” But the Frenchman sensed something wrong as they grew closer.

He added, “I felt he was not well. He called me often. Sometimes twice a week. He never phoned me while I was still racing.” Prost knew his retirement had affected the Brazilian.

People thought with the Frenchman out of the picture, Senna would dominate the sport. However, just 3 races into the 1994 season he would die due to a high-speed collision at the San Marino GP

However, Senna left a radio message for his pal right before his final race. He delivered a message saying, “A special hello to our dear friend Alain. We all miss you, Alain.”

Also Read: “Please come back, I’m not not motivated by other guys in the team”- Ayrton Senna requested rival Alain Prost to re-join McLaren as his teammate in 1993

How Prost remembers rival Ayrton Senna’s legacy

Alain Prost was deeply affected by Ayrton Senna’s untimely death. The duo had agreed to meet ahead of the next race in Monaco.

Prost believes Senna was demotivated after his retirement. He lacked a suitable challenger and didn’t have the same will to race. The Frenchman claims, “Without me, he had lost his bearings. I was probably his source of motivation.”

After Senna’s death, Prost would fly to Sao Paulo to attend his funeral. Prost would be a pallbearer at Senna’s funeral and stated that “a part of himself had died.”

The memory of Senna still lives on for the Frenchman. Prost said, “We both lived an incredible human and psychological story. You have to stay on the beautiful memories.”

The two archrivals who defined an era of racing never got to witness their friendship bloom. Their success and failures were bound together. There was no Prost if there was no Senna and vice versa.

Also Read: Michael Schumacher revealed why he didn’t attend Ayrton Senna’s funeral