Why Prost and Senna’s bitter feud healed

“I am not going to have fun like some folks that it is 20 years on,” says Alain Prost of the anniversary of Ayrton Senna's demise at Imola on Might 1 1994. “I can reply these questions on him, no downside – he was an distinctive man – however I simply do not see it the identical means as the opposite guys do.”

To know why, you need to admire the background of their shared historical past: Prost and Senna fought out what was arguably Formulation 1's biggest rivalry. After turning into team-mates at McLaren in 1988, the primary spark flew when Senna aggressively shoved Prost in the direction of the pitwall at Estoril, later prompting the Frenchman to state: “Typically I admit I used to be frightened by him; he was ready to do something.”

Other than a number of media spats that occurred earlier than Senna was topped world champion in 1988, the true ignition level for his or her bitter battle was Imola '89. Senna handed Prost on the method to Tosa on the restart after Gerhard Berger's fiery crash, breaking what Prost noticed as an settlement to not move one another there. However Senna was adamant he had the transfer accomplished earlier than the nook, so in his thoughts that did not rely.

Whether or not it was gamesmanship on Senna's half or twisting logic in his personal favour, Prost was livid and their enmity would run and run. Their successive title-deciding collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and '90 tarnished F1's popularity and moved the goalposts by way of the lengths drivers would go to win.

Each felt arduous executed by: Senna that the FIA had manipulated the '89 end in Prost's favour – “a results of the politics we had,” he'd declare – whereas Prost questioned Senna's ethics and sanity. However the antipathy that rumbled for half a dozen years was ended by Prost's retirement following his 1993 title success with Williams.

From that time on, these sworn enemies grew to become mates. Which is sort of unbelievable, given what had gone earlier than when Senna had typically refused to discuss with Prost by title, by no means thoughts shake his hand or communicate to him instantly.

“I do not maintain the dangerous moments or any dangerous souvenirs in my thoughts about him,” Prost says at the moment. “I maintain the final six months [of his life] in thoughts. That is after I knew Ayrton far more than ever earlier than. He was a very totally different particular person, I understood who he was and why he was appearing generally.”

If you thought-about the ferocity of their duel, encapsulated by Senna launching his McLaren flat-out into Prost's Ferrari on the first nook at Suzuka in 1990, that is fairly a reversal of their relationship to understand.

“I look again on how he was [when they were rivals] as a praise,” he provides. “I got here to know that Ayrton's predominant motivation, nearly his sole motivation, was to concentrate on me and on beating me.

“Close to the tip, once we have been shut, it was very unusual as a result of we'd discuss in regards to the dangerous security and this type of factor” Alain Prost

“That's the reason once we have been on the rostrum collectively in Australia in '93, after I stopped, just some seconds later he was already a special particular person [recall that following what would be his last-ever victory, Senna insisted that Prost stand with him on the top step of the podium after Alain received his runner-up trophy, physically pulling him up to stand arm-in-arm together].

“That's the memento of our relationship that I carry with me at the moment.”

Prost remembers his post-retirement dealings with Senna fondly, and acknowledges the irony that their conversations of the time have been typically about the necessity to enhance automobile and circuit security with what transpired.

“Close to the tip, once we have been shut, it was very unusual as a result of we'd discuss in regards to the dangerous security and this type of factor,” says Prost. “He would ask me many instances to take the lead of the GPDA, and I stated no. We had some very non-public discussions collectively round this time. It was very unusual.

“I maintain this memento [of him] from then proper till his final day, as a result of I met him two or 3 times, and simply earlier than [the race at Imola] – and naturally he was already this totally different particular person to me. That's the reason I favor to consider that alone.”

Of the horrible occasions of Imola that darkish weekend in 1994, a race Prost attended to commentate on for French TV, he spoke to Senna on quite a few events – twice on the morning of the race: as soon as when Senna sought him out within the TV compound; and a second time when Prost went to see him within the Williams storage.

Recall too that Senna had despatched the radio message (“a particular good day to my expensive pal Alain – all of us miss you Alain”) from his automobile to the commentary field over the radio throughout a lap in apply.

Prost confirms: “Ayrton referred to as me on Saturday, so I met him on Saturday, and I met him on Sunday twice – the principle fixed [of their conversations] was security and the truth that he was not proud of the state of affairs, considering that the Benetton was not authorized. He was very centered on that, nevertheless it was very bizarre… Very bizarre.”