“The rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen, we haven’t seen that often in recent decades”

The last spectacular clash between the Briton Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion, and the Dutchman Max Verstappen could have turned into drama, Sunday, September 12 at the Italian Grand Prix, without the safety halo of the Mercedes. The two drivers are competing for the world title this year and their duel, often explosive on the track in recent months, has revived memories of the greatest rivalries in the history of Formula 1. A subject on which Alain Prost, quadruple world champion in the years 1980-1990, returned in length for franceinfo: sport.

The similarities of his rivalry with his ex-Brazilian teammate Ayrton Senna, the sporting and media stakes of such a duel at the moment … The “Professor” gives his impressions on this merciless fight between two men ready for anything , or almost, to snatch victory, as the first tests of the Russian Grand Prix, 15th round of the season, begin on Friday September 24 in Sochi.

Franceinfo: sport: In your opinion, is the Hamilton-Verstappen rivalry the strongest in recent years?

Alain Prost: There was a very strong one between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, the year Rosberg became world champion (in 2016), because she was also on the same team. But this one is one of the strongest and I hope it will be one of the most beautiful until the end of the year. It must not degenerate or it will automatically be refereed by teammates or other teams who can take advantage of this. After that, you have to be a little lucky to win a championship. Verstappen was not at Silverstone, even worse in Budapest when he was hit at the start. But on a regular basis, for the moment, a small advantage at Verstappen since the start of the year.

Do you find any similarities compared to the one you experienced with Ayrton Senna?

Everyone takes a bit of our rivalry as a reference to explain what is going on right now. But I’m pretty cautious about this. There is a rivalry with Ayrton Senna first when we were teammates, but also after when we were no longer. Today, the rivalry between two drivers who are fighting for the championship with different arguments is there: one (Hamilton) wants to break the record for the number of titles, the other (Verstappen) wants to win for the first time the world championship with undeniable talent.

Hamilton has not always had during his seasons and his titles a formidable opponent as he has this year. Its strong point is more on the experience, the strength of his team, in addition to being someone who knows how to get one result and go and preserve another. Even if there is always a small advantage for the youngest, the one who dethrones the old one, accompanied by a small media preference too.

What is paradoxical is that everyone complained about a lack of rivalry or spectacle between two pilots or two different teams, and there we have something extraordinary that sets in. So we must not fall into the trap of some kind of melodrama. Even if there was an accident at Silverstone, which was borderline for Verstappen, another at Monza for Hamilton, more often than not we are in finesse. But aWith a slightly aggressive rider like Verstappen, it is absolutely impossible to see waiting situations. So it’s no surprise: we know there will be small events like that until the end.

“I only wanted one thing, and that was to take my helmet and hit it hard with it.”

Alain Prost

about his hookup with Ayrton Senna in 1990.

In these situations, is all the blows allowed?

In a case like this, I remember the accident with Ayrton when he was in force in Japan. [sur le circuit de Suzuka en octobre 1990]. I had only one desire, it was to take my helmet and give it a big blow with it. But we are still a little master of our nerves with millions of spectators and a new generation watching.

In the Monza incident, Hamilton is also very happy not to be injured more thanks to the halo. He (Verstappen) thought he could recover points by doubling him. Often, it’s a small element, a detail that will cause there to be a collision without one of the two pilots being 100% responsible. Once that is done I would say the pilots tend to move on.

For you, is this an unfortunate incident or a way of creating a form of emulation between the two pilots?

There is an inevitable climate of tension at this time. On the other hand, the fact of talking about it a lot and adding more increases the pressure between the pilots. There was the rather heavy sanction against Verstappen [trois places de pénalité sur la grille de départ du Grand Prix de Russie], but we all want to see the two fight until the end of the championship, because we still have deep inside us that share of excitement. We don’t want it to end in drama, but with these two recent clashes, we can see the mastery they both have.

“The title must not be decided by penalties given by the race director.”

Alain Prost

to franceinfo: sport

In the newspaper columns The team dated September 13, the manager of the Mercedes team declared that “the stewards must find a solution to have a healthy rivalry”. Do the authorities have a role to play in trying to calm things down?

I think the marshals, the clerk of the course and the FIA ​​are doing the right thing. Let’s not forget that the stakes are high for the two pilots with characters who do not want to give up either. For example, out of the ten-second penalty for Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix, everyone has a different judgment. Because it’s true that ten seconds of penalty for him is anything but a penalty. From the moment Verstappen is no longer there, it’s like giving him the win. And the next three penalty spots for Verstappen in Russia, is because they think it was not in his right to attempt this maneuver at this precise moment (at Monza).

The uncertainty now is: how are they going to judge these maneuvers, which are always a little bit at the limit? The title must not be decided by penalties given by the race director. A clerk of the course said that we had to leave the drivers a little in their rights, because we are not going to bully them either. I think he’s right because it can be counterproductive, so you have to find the right balance.

Beyond being rivals on the track, is a real friendship outside possible?

I think as long as you’re at a very similar level of competitiveness and fighting for a title with the pressure you have, all of that makes it impossible to be totally friends.

I had extremely close relationships with teammates, but the ones we were closest to was because there was a difference in level. Otherwise, it’s very complicated. That’s why with Ayrton, once my career ended at the end of 1993, it was totally different. There was no longer the rivalry, there was no longer the desire to fight which was his primary motivation. So from there, we can become close or “friends” again, but not before.

“I would say there are some riders with talent, others with very strong personalities and charisma. But I always put Ayrton aside.”

Alain Prost

to franceinfo: sport

Do you feel like your career would have been any different without a character like Ayrton Senna?

I would say that there are riders with talent, others with very strong personalities and charisma. But I always put Ayrton aside. I judge it in a very different way on a human level, in mental and psychological approach. He was a very different person from everyone else.

When you have a career like I did, the level that we reached with Ayrton, when we were both in a fight, was absolutely incredible. It motivated us against each other and we made history together. Today when you say Prost you say Senna and when you say Senna you say Prost. It’s pretty magical although I would have certainly won three or four more titles without Ayrton. I would have met other pilots, I would have had other fights, but perhaps not as successful, publicized and full of stories. There is absolutely no regrets in this.

What is your take on the current media influence in Formula 1?

I see this from an interested and lucid point of view. I’m not talking about social networks because you will always have the “pro-Lewis” and the “pro-Max”. We did not have that and fortunately because it would have been untenable. On the other hand, the current media are rather balanced, I do not see any preference for one pilot or another. Today, we have popularized, democratized a little F1 with series like that of Netflix [Pilotes de leur destin]. The younger generation has come back to see Formula 1 a bit, so we’re holding something, we’ve got something going on.

And this product (Formula 1), maybe it will be different again in the next race. It’s a series so everyone must also benefit from it: drivers, spectators and the media. Because the rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen, we have not seen that often in recent decades.