ALAIN PROST, CO-FOUNDER OF TEAM RENAULT E.DAMS
with Jean-Paul Driot, co-founder of Renault e.dams, during the 2017 Formula E championship in Monaco, May 2017
Of course, the revolution in the sport’s equipment also captures my attention: the introduction of composites, lighter materials, performance gains in gear assemblies, transmissions and more. As a tech and innovation fanatic myself, I’m well placed to appreciate the many subtleties involved. And let’s not forget the competitive spirit so essential to cycling, which demands efficiency, performance and rationalisation. The intersection of haute horlogerie and cycling, two disciplines in the midst of remarkable developments, could not but lead to thoughtful reflection, followed by an especially inspired watch.
Saga of an epic driver, in pictures
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Alain Prost as a teenager surrounded by his karting trophies, St-Chamond, 1975
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Alain, 3 years old, with his Armenian grandmother
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Champion of France at Le Creusot, Prost received a scholarship to attend driver training, 1974
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Winner of the Pilote Elf prize, Alain won 12 of the 13 races in the Formula Renault championship in 1976
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In 1979, Prost competed in Formula 3, becoming European champion. His most noted victory, however, was in Monaco (photo) with Martini-Renault, 1979
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At the Monaco Grand Prix, 17 May 1980
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In his McLaren-Ford car, Prost scored points in four races, British Grand Prix, 1980
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The Renault-Turbo in the switchbacks of Monaco’s circuit, 1981
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Alain Prost’s Renault RE 40 headed for glory at the Austrian Grand Prix, 1983
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From pole position to victory, delighting his fans at the F1 Grand Prix in Le Castellet, France, 1983
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Pit stop, always masterfully handled by Prost, Le Castellet, 1983
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F1 trials at Le Castellet. Despite four victories, recurring technical problems prevented Prost from winning the world title in 1983
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The driver’s helmet and license, 1984
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In Brazil, Prost getting acquainted with the 1986 McLaren in which he was to win his second world champion title, 1986
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Prost dominated the very fast Hockenheimring, but his McLaren failed him a few laps from the finish of the German Grand Prix in 1987
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In 1988, no one could touch McLaren-Honda. In Germany, Prost ensured the British team’s 6 th double podium coming in right behind Senna
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Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost during testing in Brazil, before they became teammates, 1987
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Celebrating his victory in the US Grand Prix in 1989, the first of the four wins that earned him a 3
rd world championship title this season>
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N° 27 from Team Ferrari moving into second place in the US F1 Grand Prix in Phoenix, Arizona, March 1991
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Grand Prix Italy, 1996. The Frenchman, a consultant for McLaren at the time, still gets respect from the ‘tifosi’, for whom he drove in 1990-1991
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A glorious finale to Prost’s career at Williams-Renault, culminating in a fourth title, European Grand Prix, 1993
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F1 team owner since 1997, Prost presents the first single-seater to bear his initials, with Team Prost Grand Prix, at the Australian Grand Prix, 1998
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Alain Prost and Jean Todt, his equivalent at Ferrari, during the Brazilian Grand Prix, 1997
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F1 tests at Jerez, 2000
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Italian native Jarno Trulli was called in by Alain Prost to replace Olivier Panis, injured at the Canadian Grand Prix, 1997
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Winners of the Andros Trophy, Serre-Chevalier, 2004
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Alain Prost driving an Opel Astra during the Andros Trophy in Serre-Chevalier, 2003
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Driving a Toyota Corolla at the Andros Trophy in Andorra, 2005
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Alain Prost helps Niki Lauda, former teammate and friend of 30 years, to gear up for the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, June 2015
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Podium of the London Formula E race, with Alain, co-director of the Renault e.dams Formula E team, and Nicolas Prost, driver of the Renault e.dams Z.E.15, Battersea Park, July 2016
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Alain Prost advising his son for the Formula E race in Long Beach, California, April 2016