Why I'd pick Prost over Senna

[@Samylton]

Ayrton for his personality and unbelievable skill Prost for his absolute almost perfect consistency and his amazing guts to tell Ferrari their car handled like a truck

[@salmanfarruz]

What personality?

[@Jtngetabettername]

About the truck comment, was it not the case that it was due to a power steering failure?

[@justintoolan2027]

All apart from guts I don’t think he reckoned on the sack🤷🏻‍♂️

[@afoxwithahat7846]

@@salmanfarruz a great one

[@lotus3272]

Prost got yeeted out by Ferrari before the season finale in 1991, but that was a great decision at least on Prost’s part, as Ferrari went through a bad slump after that. Meanwhile, Prost replaced Mansell at Williams and ended up winning the championship in 1993. I’d like to imagine how Ferrari felt when that happened.

[@scuffed3408]

Oh god I can hear the heavy breathing and keyboard mashing already

[@adrianalprin5752]

From people who never saw Senna race live just saw a couple of highlights online and rarely talks about how Senna is a whiny bitch off the track, that quote about "if u no longer go for a gap" is rubbish if u take a step back and think about it

[@nai_29]

Adrian Alfrin You’re not helping Prost’s case by being so bitter

[@adrianalprin5752]

@@nai_29 i'm sorry I didnt say anything about Prost that's just my general opinion on Senna fans how can u put a driver so high up on a pedestal when u never saw him in action

[@amnaah653]

@@adrianalprin5752 you have a point but really aren't working it right

[@nai_29]

Adrian Alfrin But that was Senna’s Personality He didn’t give a shit about what you thought of him off track, he just proved his worthiness on track.

[@Jaks-JB7]

I have to disagree with ur first point I feel it was fair enough senna felt the rule had been reversed but overall I do feel Prost is overlooked for his achievements

[@PMGF]

I really hate it when people mention Pole switching sides in Japan like Prost had some kind of hand in it. It's nonsense, pole position was always on that side of the grid and didn't become an issue until 1990, this myth is propagated by the heavily bias Senna Movie.

[@TheInsaiyan]

Facts, but I think senna is great anyway. Drivers just love to complain and people don't realise its part of them.

[@bang_türk_varm]

Wow, finally someone says this! It's like all think that Senna was a saint and the "hero", while Prost was the "villain", as the film shows.

[@hugonubario]

not to mention that senna missed his start 3 times in a row 88-89-90 at the same side of the grid

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

But Senna requested it before qualifying, so he wasn't just playing into his own pocket but just making a statement that pole position is worthless by being on the wrong side. And it was first agreed, but then Balestre the bastard made a decision pole would be back in the dirty side.

[@toasty862]

yes exactly! that senna movie was an absolute load of garbage

[@kjpr00]

I'm with picking Prost. He was able to keep track of the bigger picture during a race and remember that winning is more than just going flat-out constantly. And sidenote: I'd have to look into myself, but I've heard pole at Suzuka was traditionally on the dirty side of the track, and not because of anything Prost did.

[@michaeltrumph121]

Senna was the better driver

[@yeshuahdenazareth7868]

You are correct.

[@michaeltrumph121]

@@yeshuahdenazareth7868 He is not

[@clubpenguin13531]

@@michaeltrumph121 he is

[@michaeltrumph121]

@@clubpenguin13531 Senna was superior.

[@laren9559]

Prost is underrated for a 4-time world Champion. Nobody ever talks about him as much as Senna. Probably because Senna died doing what he loved.

[@123dan165]

The effect of dying in your sport is powerful and Senna's legacy did grow from his death but I would argue he was still better than Prost, Prost was more of a politician who used his connections with the FIA to his benefit.

[@disposablehero1235]

@@123dan165 lol you watched the senna movie too much

[@livingbeing1113]

@@123dan165 Not true, if anyone was a "politician" back then it was Senna, who manipulated the press, media and the team to get favors. Prost was the best, better than Senna, and won even less than he should've.

[@georgiossermpos4622]

No because Senne demolish prost in the same car !1.4 second fester in a qualy lap in Monaco is insanity!!!Lewis never was 1.4 second fester than bottas so stop the bullshit!!why prost have in his contract with williams that senna cant be his teammate i toll this fear,FEAR!!!WHO WAS BETTER IN THE SAME CAR BITCH PROST OR SENNA?SO STOP THE BULLSHIT PROST BETTER THEN SENNA!!THAT IS LIKE NICO ID BETTER THAN LEWIS STOP THE BULLSHIT PLEACE

[@xc3274]

@@livingbeing1113 yeah, sure bud, let's forget Jean-Marie Balestre, a man whose only presence made you think he was the f***ing devil in disguise. Not like you are biased, not at all 😂😂

[@shooter7a]

Much of what Senna accomplished, and what separated Senna from Prost in some situations, was simply due Senna's willingness to take risks. If Prost had been as reckless and willing to take risk, do you not think he would have had many more moments of brilliance which would have caused fans to like him more? Why was Prost NOT willing to take those risks? He had different life experiences, and a different personality. Early in his career, Prost was much more aggressive and reckless. And then what happened? He was close friends will Gilles...and Gilles would always tell Prost "you can not die in Formula 1...". This was based on some of the crazy accidents Gilles had walked away from. He had this supreme self confidence that baffled Prost. And then just like that, he was killed, running into the back of Jochen Mass at Zolder, he car going airborne, disintegrating on impact, and Gilles still strapped into his seat ending up sans helmet in the catch fence, his body mangled. 3 races later, rookie driver Paletti, a very serious and committed young Italian on a lower tier team died at the Canadian Grand Prix in the first race he qualified for. He was in a multi-car crash, his car smashed around him, his chest pinned against his seat. Before they could pry him out, the gas ignited, and the car went up in flames. He burned to death. Four races later at Hockenheim, Didier Pironi touched the back of Alain's car in qualifying, in the rain, and the resulting crash nearly costing him is legs and ending his career. Pironi claimed that the medics and track workers discussed if he would need to have his leg or legs amputated to get him out of the car. In These things had a profound effect on Alain, and he changed his approach, especially after driving along side and learned from Nikki Lauda, who was famous for carefully analyzing risk, and taking no more than was required. Was Alain a coward? LOL...no way. No one who gets into an F1 car in the 80s is that. But Alain had profound experiences that impacted the way he thought about racing and risk. For him, certain risks were simply not worth taking. He had seen the results personally. He had seen friend die in the most horrible way. And why was Senna willing to take more risk? Well it was pretty simple. He had what many would call a foolhardy approach to risk because he believed he was chosen by got and his religious commitment protected him. Alain said as much..."Ayrton believes he can not die because he believes in God" Also, Senna came into F1 in 1984. He was not personally connected to the deaths and injuries that had happened in recent prior years. The only death in Senna's early career was the gentlemanly and excellent Elio DeAngelis, who did not die at a race, but in testing, away from other competing drivers. Ayrton simply had not personally experienced the things that Prost had. He had not seen it with his own eyes. Look at the stock footage from Imola in 1994. Senna was badly shaken by Rubens crash on Friday, and nearly devastated by Roland's death. He finally experienced what Prost had experienced a full decade before. If Senna had learned these life lessons a decade earlier, the history of F1 might be much different. Now for some more driving focused discuss. I often wonder if people who idolize Senna have actually raced at a competent and high level. Because it seems that few really understand what Senna's brilliance was. Sennas talent was this - he had a natural gift that enabled him to adjust to new conditions almost instantly. This was probably because of his vast experience in various forms of racing, and driving many different types of kart, then cars. Senna could literally get in a car, take a corner or two, and almost instantly be at the limit on the rest of the track. So when conditions were new of unknown, such as in qualifying, or when it started raining, Senna could adjust so much faster. It would start raining, and Senna on hist first lap would turn 1:30s. Everyone else would turn 1:40. Over the course of 2 or 3 more laps, Senna would get down to say 1:28s. Other drivers might take 8-10 laps to get to 1:28s...and they might go even faster.... But by then Senna had built a 25s lead, and the race was over. THAT was Senna's talent, and it was miraculous, and so different from how most drivers, even brilliant ones, get up to speed. THAT was Senna's talent. He top speed was oftne not as great as people believe. He did not set as many fast laps and you would expect for a driver of his caliber. Prost on the the other hand, had much different strengths. He learned patience. He was very good at setting up the car, and focusing on the whole weekend, and not focusing on maximum speed over any one lap or session. Prost would have been a perfect driver for the modern highly technical era, where tire management and strategy over the course of the entire race weekend are so critical. Prost was also blindingly fast in race trim, and his ultimate speed and limit, were ofter better than Sennas. But quickly adjusting to changes in conditions was not his forte. And finally, he was simply more cautious. The memory of Pironi flying over his car at Hockenheim in the rain, had more a bit to do with Alains disdain for the rain. You can not chose to not let these things affect you, unless you are a born sociopath who has no empathy. That is not Prost. To back up what I have said, here lets compare Poles, and Fast Laps. Senna Race Starts - 161 Poles - 65 (40.4%) Fast Laps - 19 (11.8%) Podiums - 80 (49.7%) Wins - 41 (25.5%) Prost Race Starts - 199 Poles - 33 (16.6%) Fast Laps - 41 (20.6%) Podiums - 106 (53.2%) Wins - 51 (25.6%) Let also not forget that Prost should have won at least one title with Renault, but the team inflicted failure upon themselves due to reliability issues that they created for political reasons. In 1982 for instance, they had 9 failures of the same part, and they refuse to chance the part, because of a French industrial partner that supplied the part! On an British team, they would have changed to a different part after the second failure, and never even told anyone. These absurd issues were why Prost left and went back to McLaren. Then he lost to Lauda by only 1/2 point. If the Monaco race had gone to the 75% point, and Senna had passed Prost, relegating him to 2nd, Prost would have actually won the title. They were so similar in Podiums and Wins, but exact opposites in Poles vs Fast Laps. This just backs up what I was saying...they were quite equal in talent, speed and results. Prost and Senna just had different approaches and strengths. It also shows that it is posssible for a driver to be better than either of them...just combine their strengths. Take the strong points of Senna and Prost and combine them, and you would definitely have the best drier ever. Based on the data, if I were choosing a driver to deliver most consistently, I would choose Prost every time. Espeically in the modern technical era where implementing strategies are key. If I wanted the most excitement and fervor from fans (which might translate into sponsor dollars), I would chose Senna. It is so very very close. They are much more evenly matched than people realize.

[@yeshuahdenazareth7868]

It's not about taking risks. It's about perception. Stewart said it: Alain was an artist and his smoothest of style was pure art compared with Senna's jerkiness. The so-called fans are looking for crashes and collisions and Senna provided them with plenty of that. In terms of points scored (and F1 is a points game), Prost absolutely obliterated Senna, given the circumstances. With today's point system, Prost would have been 8 times world champ instead of winning 4 and finishing second 4 times while Senna would have won 1. Prost was the best on every level. He also proved in 1993 that collecting poles was not an issue... But ultimately it's not important. Finally Prost is the record holder of Senna's home GP while Senna never won in France. That's simply phenomenal. I mean it: PHENOMENAL.

[@jhonny1268]

This is the best analysis of any topic on KZbin I've ever read and I very much agree with you sir.

[@Dashriprock4]

I really appreciate the time you took to post this reply. I agree completely and I know it's not popular. There's not one thing you've said that I don't believe is true. You've done a great job here laying out the case. Well done

[@frankwaugh1894]

Outstanding post!

[@beksxp]

1982 was a crazy year... great comment man

[@sohampansare5524]

I'm going to be quite controversial here. For me, both Ayrton and Prost were equally talented and had special qualities. However, I feel that Senna is given more credit because of the way his life tragically ended, which leaves a lingering thought in everyone's head of "what could have been". Prost is criminally underrated in my opinion, but his statistics show otherwise!

[@alecyerikian8073]

They have exactly the same winning rate : 25 % so I think that you are right

[@yeshuahdenazareth7868]

@@alecyerikian8073 Yet one has 4 titles and finished second 4 times while the other one "won" 3 titles and finished second 3 times. This makes Peost the best driver of his era without a shadow of a doubt.

[@bacro2]

Prost would never do something like Senna in Interlagos 1991

[@JasonDetheridge]

Prost was the Best all-round Driver ,He could have won 8-10 F1 World Championships Senna And Mansell Both Excellent Drivers but more Reckless And Dangerous at times especially Senna.

[@bacro2]

@@JasonDetheridge Prost would never win 8-10 championships when the cars are reliable, he does not push the car to the limit. I would say Senna is as reckless as Max Verstappen is.

[@G14-34]

Joe Ramirez said in Beyond the grid, put Prost in a car he is comfortable with and he will not be beaten. There has never been a driver as clever as Prost in the art of driving

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Lauda said he was the hardest driver to beat to the championship. He knew way more about them than us!

[@keithbranley6919]

He also said how many times is a car perfect, thats where the greats step up like Senna very seldom a car perfect race weekend at that time my miney be on Senna

[@stuartbritton7408]

@@y_fam_goeglyd you've just answered his question. Lauda was more Wiley than Prost, but Prost slightly faster.

[@Ellemerob]

@@y_fam_goeglyd Lauda states in his book To Hell and Back that Piquet was the best driver he raced against.

[@dgpfproducoes6467]

it's important to know that Senna only one in 88 and had a chance to win in 89, because only the 12 best results out of 16 were counted in the championship, in modern F1 rules Prost easily beat him

[@INDIGOBLUE555]

Those rules were for both of them...

[@srxt6758]

@@INDIGOBLUE555 yea but why host 16 races in a season when you are only gonna count 12 of them. The whole season was around 16 races and in those 16 races Prost beat Senna. It just looks like Senna cheated his way into the title, it wasn't his decision but it feels like he lucked into it. Turns out they raced the rest of the races and risked their lives for nothing. I get it was for promotion and to race in as many countries as possible but why such stupid rule. Just count all the races and get it done jeezus fricking complicators...

[@INDIGOBLUE555]

@@srxt6758 That's a good point..... I really don't know the reason for such rules. Possibly FIA wanted to push teams and drivers towards competition rather than playing on mere tactic based on arithmetic... Just my two cents :)

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

@@srxt6758 The rule was implemented because the cars were really unreliable. The rule also encouraged drivers to put it all to win the race instead of finishing second, third, fourth or the fifth just like Senna said. This proved that Prost's strategy didn't really work.

[@Daervar]

@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 you're right, that were the reasons

[@Thomas-vd4hu]

Prost doesn't get as much respect as senna because he is still alive.

[@INDIGOBLUE555]

That's a good point....

[@hectorvillanueva9313]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU for saying this LOL

[@thegoat-ishere4414]

Senna washed him in quali. Proving he is faster

[@jimmyjohn6952]

@@thegoat-ishere4414 stfu prost was a more complete driver who didn’t keep crashing into people on purpose

[@toasty862]

i think it's because senna had a cult of personality thing going on. he got away with murder because of it... as i've gotten on in the years i've come to realise - Senna was the bad guy.

[@cachinerof1]

What I liked about Prost is he drove by the numbers. He didn’t take unnecessary risks

[@davffwatto77]

It's a shame that they didn't discuss this in more depth (btw Zach is clueless), Senna was prepared to risk his life and the lives of others, the irony is that this is rarely pointed out. There were a couple of gutsy people in the world of F1 that were prepared to point out Senna's dare I repeat it "dirty" - fwiw Jackie Stewart and Murray Walker were prepared to call him out.

[@longde]

​@@davffwatto77Zach is absolutely clueless, why does this guy even get screen time?

[@emelle1283]

NAH - HE COPPED OUT COS HE COULDNT DRIVE AS QUICK AS SENNA SO HE SETTLED FOR 2ND AND HOPED SENNA'S CAR BROKE

[@Phantom096]

I think that was something he learned from studying Fangio. Similar style.

[@amnaah653]

I agree, I have always thought Prost was just a bit better. He is a very smart person and wouldn't risk something very dirty and cheaty like Senna + Schumacher

[@billyjov]

We have to agree that Senna and Schumacher were dirty drivers, but let's not forget the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix where Prost deliberately drove into Senna.

[@amnaah653]

@@billyjov deliberately is very wrong for me, Senna came from way to far back for that move to ever work out without contact, now Prost although closed the door, fact is Prost would have never went for that move

[@areebsiddiqui758]

Wouldn't cheat? Cough...Suzuka 89...cough Mate, say any other compliment you want but not that. Prost had the FIA in his back pocket.

[@ΑγγελοςΚόνταρης]

Cough cough Fia Suzuka 1989 cough cough

[@joejohnnys]

Suzuka 89 ?? He and his compatriot who was fia president

[@mygoogleaccount8627]

I do agree with some of your points, but I do think you are overlooking some key points, for example Senna was insane in qualifying for most tracks, which is ,as Max Verstappen says, it’s very hard. Although, I would say Prost was more consistent with performances. They are both truly incredible drivers, and both changed the way F1 is forever.

[@yeshuahdenazareth7868]

Nobody cares about qualifying. For a long time they were not even broadcasted. The only reason fanboys mention it is because Senna has more poles than Prost. Funny as that is the only relevant stat in favour of Senna.

[@Ellemerob]

@@yeshuahdenazareth7868 Prost cared in 1993. Don't ever recall Senna getting 13 in one season, bitch

[@r0b3rt_959]

As much as I love Ayrton as a driver, he was sheer skill and instinct, totally unpredictable. If I was Senna's team principal back in the day, I'd suffer a attack every weekend…

[@patriciorivera762]

Bro thats racing, you are born with that instinct, that iching to get in a car and go full throttle, Senna is remembered as the best by a lot of people and that's no coincidence.

[@GreekSIMRACING]

After 1992 he was driving more clever, looking 1993 it was obvious that he was extrating more on race strategy.In pit stop area with his senses on tires we would see very good races with Senna.He was smarter than Schumacher

[@roman5819]

With all due respect to Senna, i dont think there would be this many people arguing for senna if he hadnt died

[@roman5819]

But i guess we'll never know

[@samuelfeltman6903]

I think if he didn't have that awful crash in 94', he would take one to two more titles (more likely one) and then retired, him and Prost were both incredible, but senna has my bias favorite

[@govand7]

That's a good point but I do think it's a fair argument in any case - Prost was figuratively better but he managed to live out his entire career whereas Senna's was cut short - he was highly anticipated to dominate following the departure of Prost & even Mansell but because he was tragically killed in '94, I guess we'll never know. Both amazing drivers in their own right though

[@ytsub7]

I don't think he'll be known that well for regular racing but he would be known for pioneering safety and his wet weather driving

[@michaeltrumph121]

Yes there would, cause he was the better driver.

[@hassenkacem2324]

It's nice finally hearing someone criticize Senna. I agree I feel like because of his death it made him "untouchable" to any criticism and the definitive best of all time. He's top 5 for sure but my #1 will always be Schumi and if I was running a team I'd take Prost over Senna just to spare myself of the headaches. Prost in my opinion is also top 5.

[@detonator2112]

Schumi never even had a decent teammate. Prost beat five world champion teammates. K.Rosberg, Senna, Lauda, Hill and Mansell. Schumacher is not even close to Prost's level.

[@Yoshiman2024]

Well, about Monaco 1984... Why do people keep forgetting thet Senna wasn't THAT impressive in comparison to Stefan Bellof who was catching Senna faster than Senna was catching Prost...

[@aydankhaliq2967]

And he started 20th whilst Senna started 13th.

[@srxt6758]

Stefan tbf had an advantage. A lighter car which was later disqualified for it in at the end of the year and the engine which was non turbo and also less powerful which made it easier to drive in rain.

[@OboeCanAm]

12:50 Pole position at Suzuka was on the "dirty" line in 1989. It was not changed to handicap Senna in 1990.

[@olivierb9716]

the pole position was , since a lot of time, on the dirty side.

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

Actually, it was changed. Senna suggested it to be changed to clean side, first it was agreed but Balestre did a dick move and changed it back to a dirty side.

[@OboeCanAm]

​@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 Yes, Balestre over ruled the Suzuka stewards, so there was no change. Senna was driving very angry on race day!

[@jpg_goulart]

Being from Brasil I can safely say that Prost doesn't get the credit he deserves, what a master on the track he was. I still think Senna was the best, but not by a huge margin, and that was the fun of watching them race, they had a rival on their level, they had eachother. Like Prost himself said before "you can't talk about me without talking about Ayrton, and you can't talk about Ayrton without talking about me".

[@thethomascobbgroup5001]

3:30 Gives more reasons why you would take Prost. If you're a team boss raw speed means F all if you put it in the wall and don't finish

[@thedorianmode8087]

I’ve been saying this for decades.

[@angelalexs]

100% I'd choose Prost, i'm not saying that Ayrton was bad, he is one of the greats. But Prost is my go to because of his intelligence (inside and outside the track) and his businessman mindset.

[@arshadjilani6645]

I think Prost once said that his goal was to get pole with the minimum effort possible and win the race and the slowest possible speed. Goes to show his tactical brilliance and it's this approach that helps maximize points and win world championships. Even during their two seasons in the same car, the championship score was 1-1 but he outscored Senna in both years. Got fewer wins in each of the two seasons but had more podiums and points finishes, highlighting his metronomic consistency. The 1988 Monaco GP is touted as one of Senna's greatest performances but it's pretty ironic that it's a race he crashed out of. And guess who was there to pick up the pieces because he didn't push beyond the limit when there was no need to? Just a small note on the toxic presence in the team. I think Prost was as bad as Senna. Mansell was effectively forced out of Ferrari because Prost had the management pandering to him, to the extent that he got the team to give him Mansell's car because the latter was performing better. That was followed by his acrimonious departure from Ferrari and then the infamous contract and veto for the 1993 Williams drive. The defending champion Mansell thought it would be better to retire than team up with Prost again as well. And finally, early on in his career he got booted out by Renault, which is crazy given he was a top French driver driving for a top French team.

[@willbeattie9985]

there is so little between these two legends and so many different angles you can approach the debate from you just can't say one is better than the other - the pure guts, raw speed and always pushing the cars to their limits that likes of senna showed did wonders for the sport, while on the other hand prost's methodical approaches were also fascinating to watch and also did good for the sport.

[@Nchinnam]

Prost knew the mental game and how handle the media and promote himself. Senna was just a racer with raw speed and talent but outside the racetrack he was just a nice guy with a great personality.

[@judenjeru5081]

Naganachiketh Chinnamuttevi true, Prost manipulated and gained influence with the media and fia

[@Vipa567]

Senna was not a nice guy, he was a massive dick.

[@judenjeru5081]

@@Vipa567 was he really a dick but prost was dick to but that's doesnt matter cause both are great drivers

[@fistoftulkas7335]

It's actually the opposite, Senna was the media's darling and manipulated the narrative to fit his complaints. He always got preferential treatments in every team and vetoed teammates.

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

@@Vipa567 Sorry to open this up to you but so was Prost and Piquet and Mansell wasn't a dream team mate either.

[@thomasvisscher7006]

13:11 Pole position had always been on the dirty side of the track, so again an invalid argument

[@adilmujeeb5445]

not always

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

@@sviniciusbraga No, the thing is that he requested this before the qualidying, so there was no personal interest. Race officials agreed. The stupidest thing is that 30 minutes before the race Balestre the Beelsebub decided to change the pole back to the dirty side, and understandably this furiated Senna.

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

@@sviniciusbraga Just as I mentioned before, he requested it before the qualifying, so it was not about him willing to start on the dirty side previous years and not in 1990. Maybe he was so "selfish" as Tommy says that he wanted to give the pole sitter a better chance of winning the race, even though he wouldn't be on the pole himself. And yes, maybe he was just finding an excuse for taking Prost out, not necessarily to win the championship but to revenge the unjustice from previous year. Senna was ok to crash for me, but I think he still endangered Prost's and his own life with those huge speeds in that fast corner, he should have crashed in a slower corner.

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

@@sviniciusbraga No, Prost should have been disqualified from 1989 season for his political cheating and the FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre should have been thrown into the pits of hell. And I agree that Senna was not robbed from a title but from his chances of fighting for it yes. If he'd not been disqualified he would have had a theoretical chance of winning it in the final race. And crashing for your opponent is never ok, but because Prost did it the previous year without any punishment so Senna was just settling the score and putting an end to the terror of Balestre The Beelsebub.

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

@@sviniciusbraga I really suggest you to watch some more footage of that 1989 crash, Prost turns twice into the corner which is really suspicious and what's even more suspicious is that if Prost held that racing line he would have cut the corner like hell. And all the crashes in 1989 that Senna did were unfortunate but unlike Prost he didn't do them deliberately. I can see that you are a big Prost fan as you just can't see the way he abused the political structure of FIA to do whatever he pleased. And just to remind that I would have no problem in Prost being the champion in 1989 and he deserved that title , but due to his dick move in Suzuka he should be disqualified drom the championship and there should have been something done to stop bullying Senna with senseless accusements.

[@livingbeing1113]

Prost was better. More complete, better consistency, strategy, better at setting his car up, and FASTER when he wanted to. The fact that he was able to drive so smoothly while being gentle on the car, and still be as fast or faster than anyone when it mattered, is incredible. He was truly the master, the Professor. Absolutely funny when fans make their top fives, putting Senna at number one, and Prost is nowhere near to be seen. Hilarious. Oh, and at 12:45 that's absolute nonsense, including the myth about the pole position.

[@Ellemerob]

'' ...FASTER when he wanted to be '' That explains out of the 19 times both Mclarens finished a race between 1988-89, Prost managed to beat Senna 5 times. This includes never finishing ahead of Senna in a fair fight in the entire 1989 season. How was Prost more complete? Senna was a better qualifier, better in the rain, better on street circuits

[@henriqueazank5254]

"Why I chose Prost over Senna" So .... you have chosen death

[@magnustan841]

Is it fair to say that Senna was the way more exciting driver to watch compared to Prost, but Alain was the better all-rounder? I’m only 20 and I’m new to F1, but from the limited archive footage I’ve seen and from what I’ve heard, Senna in quali was literally cinema-worthy material, people would stop whatever they were doing, to watch him fly round a track.

[@stuartbritton7408]

@@magnustan841 .......but the greatest drivers never look spectacular, because they are so smooth.

[@clubpenguin13531]

@@magnustan841 that's very fair to say

[@Edelweiss1102]

Calling a 4 time world champion underrated may seem outrageous, but I do think Prost isn't as fondely remembered as he should be and it's nice to see someone give him some credit. There's a few things I'd like to point out: - the pole position in Suzuka has always been on the dirty side and it was never an issue until Senna made it one in 1990. Prost had nothing to do with it, that's a myth made up by the heavily biased Senna docu. - the role of the FIA in Prosts career get's blown way out of proportion. Aside from Suzuka 1989 (where would have become WDC anyway after Senna ramed Brunlde in Adelaide) and Monaco 1984 (which was Jacky Ickx sole decision, not even the FIA, ironically Prost would have one that years WDC if they woud have raced on), there is no factual evidence that Prost ever got favoured. You could even make the argument that Prost got some questionable penalties in his later career, especially 1993. Senna wasn't punished for his crash on purpose at Suzuka 1990, a move that got Schumis entire 1997 season terminated just 7years later and so on. Prost didn't win 4 titles just thanks to the FIA. - Prosts career was much more than just his rivalery with Senna. Anyone remember the young Renault pilot who managed to score wins with a notoriousely unreliable car? Remeber the guy who was able to rival the legend Lauda at McLaren? Remember the guy who destroyed Mansell at Ferrari and still got podiums with a horrendous Ferrari 642? Prost had a 13 year career stretching from 1980 to 1993 and drove in some of the most competitive grids ever. He raced against the likes of Alan Jones, Gilles Villneuve, Carlos Reutemann, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Elio de Angelis, of course Ayrton Senna, a young Michael Schummachen and Damon Hill and many more. And he came out on top with 4 WDC, 51 victories, the most points and the most fastest laps. - in my opinion Prost gets too much shit for his McLaren time with Senna. He was the one who suggested Ron Dennis to get Senna over the likes of Piquet or Mansell, thinking in long terms and and aknowledging the Brasils once-in-a-generation-talent. And he did race fair until Senna started breaking agreements and got favoured by Honda and Ron Dennis. Senna wanted the escalation and he got what he asked for, ending in the infamous Suzuka 89 incident, where Prost definitely wasn't innocent, I'm not denying that, but Senna hat it coming a for a long time. Saying Prost was the villain protected by the FIA who terrorized poor innocent Senna definitely doesn't tell the full story. I've talked negatively about Senna quite a bit now, which is not nescecarely my motive. Senna was a once-in-a-lifetime-driver and one of the best ever, no doubts about that. He put racing above everything else and I get why people loved him, and he became the hero of a struggeling nation. His eraly death only further iconized him. But he wasn't invincible. He was incredibly fast, especially in qualyfing, but being the fastest doesn't always equal being the best. Senna was his own biggest enemy in many cases, making unescecary mistakes that cost him points and even wins. Prost was overall more consistant and strategically thinking, which was why he was able to rival, and sometimes outmach Senna. Overall Prost really should get more regocnition. In his 13 year career, Prost won 4 WCDs (one with an inferiour car) and had 4 runner ups, some being very close, like the half a point in 1984 and when he had more points than Senna in 1988. He beat many of his famous teammats and outperformed Senna in terms of points at McLaren. At the time of his retirement in 1993, he had 4 WDS (only Fangio had more back then), the most wins, the most points, the most fastets laps, the most poles 2nd only to Senna, all that during the arguably most competitive F1 grid ever. To this day only Schumacher, Hamilton and Vettel managed to overcome (some) of these numbers, by having an invicible car for years and driving 20+ races every year. Prost really deserves more credit that being that guy who got "destroyed" by Senna and supposedly stole his 1989 title via FIA.

[@george4821]

Imo, Prost is f1's 3rd best driver of all time behind Schumacher and Hamilton

[@Edelweiss1102]

@@george4821 He's definitely up there. It all comes down to preferences and what you value, but the fact people question if he even is a top 10 driver is ridiculous.

[@maaartiinn]

I'm a french F1 fan and there in france Prost isn't hated like he can be in other country. And I'm really happy that someone who's not French says that. I'm not saying that Senna is rubbish but just that Prost is not just a guy who does some political things to win. Senna is a really good raw speed driver but Prost is really fast too and overall, he's the professor he calculates everything every single point and it isn't really simple to drive a formula one like he did and to think about everything.

[@maaartiinn]

Sorry for my English I'm not the best

[@g_jones74]

If you make the decision based on the Senna documentary (which the Senna family was heavily involved in making) then you’re only getting one half of the story. If you want a fuller picture go watvh Aidan Millward’s videos. He explains things well.

[@lsudx479]

....I think you may have actually changed my mind 🤔. I only looked at Senna's passion for the sport. But the things I really can't stand about Schumacher and Alonso are present in Senna. You brought up "TOXIC," and...yeah, you're right.

[@vrs9486]

Why do you care if an f1 driver is toxic? are you going to marry them? I don't give a fuck about their personalities, it's racing mate if you care about that go watch big brother.

[@lsudx479]

@@vrs9486 I personally dislike toxic people because they're a burden on EVERYONE ELSE.

[@cassiobrunizio]

Schumi and Senna where arrogant dirty drivers, hard to relate.

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

And Prost is not toxic then? The man fired from a team TWICE because he couldn't behave properly. And this whole toxicness debate is useless anyway cause it doesn't define anyone's driving talent.

[@bigpmc]

Absolutely, you want someone that is fast on race day, and has the smarts to take only calculated risks. Dream team for me would be Prost and Clark

[@russotusso1695]

Personally it would be Prost and Schumacher, Schumacher also was technical driver, Schumacher is basically Senna and Prost combined, technical driver but one that can drive faster then anyone else.

[@bencrook44]

Cant forget that Schumacher tried to take out Villeneuve at Jerez in 97

[@harryjs2000]

Schumacher is a dirty champion. Just so unsportsman

[@bencrook44]

harryjs2000 agree there, the older I’ve got the more I’ve got to realise the way he won and tried to win just wasn’t right

[@matthewcoward5933]

Think you’re spot on tommo, Personally don’t think Senna would’ve been considered such a legend if he hadn’t passed away at Imola. On the other hand there’s no doubting that he was an immense which could’ve gone on to win more titles but I think we’ve all had this idea that he was the best forced on us. My personal reasoning is that I knew about Senna far before I knew about Lauda who’s life/career is arguably more impressive considering what he did after his Nurburgring crash.

[@albertotroisi4961]

I think that if was Prost that died in a racing car probably there would be more people with your same idea. Senna was a great driver, but his death promoted him from great to legend

[@nobull5]

Finally, someone agrees with me

[@nikoladlaka2507]

I was just about to comment that bro 😂

[@nic_the_grekk0262]

yeah let's stick toghether against 9 year olds

[@vrs9486]

@@nic_the_grekk0262 So you're saying that everyone who'd pick Senna is a 9-year-old? oh yeah everyone who disagrees with you is a toddler, fuck sake mate, try to use a better argument.

[@rhythmm8832]

Ye PROST GANG

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

@@nic_the_grekk0262 I never knew human intelligence was at its peak when 9-years-old.

[@MuziBytes]

People say *some particular driver* is the most underrated driver. That goes to say Prost is underrated even as an underrated driver

[@ivaniii9707]

An F1 title ins't a sprint, but a marathon and Prost was more consistent so in my opinion he was the better driver without having to result to running people off the track instead of racing them.

[@michaeltrumph121]

Prost weighed less, he had an unfair advantage.

[@ivaniii9707]

@@michaeltrumph121 lmao

[@michaeltrumph121]

@@ivaniii9707 Haven't you read the FIA rules ?!

[@Mark-zk3gu]

13:00 you have no idea what you're talking about. The pole position at Suzuka was always on that side of the grid. Senna was playing politics as usual

[@beeDUB75]

Jo Ramirez said, if they both had a perfect car, Senna couldn't touch Prost.

[@mau9175]

if my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike. cut the bs, loool stop crying

[@eljefe6213]

It’s a great comparison from a time when real nuts to butts rivalries existed I like to think that Prost was the perfect tactician racing to perfection for the long run of the championship and Senna was just pure win every race no matter what

[@adrianramsay2850]

For me Jim Clark is much better than both in terms of raw speed and skill. Most people forget Senna’s selfishness. Jim was still sportsman like while battling Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, and many other legends. He was also killed and does not get as much praise as senna even though he had more raw speed. Just look at 1965 Belgium.

[@joejohnnys]

50’s and 60’s half of the grid = rich and bad paydrivers

[@clubpenguin13531]

@@joejohnnys you usually don't battle pay drivers for the championship, and Clark's competition in that regard was certainly not weak

[@John-mi2rt]

More raw speed??? How do you maintain that? Senna's 1985 Silverstone qualifying lap is 20 seconds faster than Clark's 1967 qualifying lap despite the 1985 version of Silverstone being a tad longer. Don't compare drivers from different eras. It's silly

[@yeshuahdenazareth7868]

Let's put it that way : if you actually consider Senna to be the best, you have to chose the driver who pushed him to the limit, outscored him twice in the same team, and beat him on a regular basis. Prost, of course.

[@tosehoed123]

Schumacher pushed him so much he couldn't control the car anymore, hence he crashed. Is Schumacher better then?

[@yeshuahdenazareth7868]

@@tosehoed123 Difficult to say as Schumacher was on his way up while Senna was on his way down. Neither was in his prime. Senna culminated the early 90s, Schumacher in the mid 2000s. Difficult to judge but Prost in his last season never let Schumacher take liberties and retired as a champion. Senna was humiliated and died. Yes, Schumacher was better than Senna, but not as good as Prost.

[@michaeltrumph121]

@@yeshuahdenazareth7868 Prost was not as fast as Senna.

[@yeshuahdenazareth7868]

@@michaeltrumph121 Indeed. Prost was faster. When he wanted and needed to.

[@michaeltrumph121]

@@yeshuahdenazareth7868 Prost was never faster. And don't forget, he had a weight advantage that translates in over half a second.

[@broderickhagen9846]

Prost played nicely, like the gentleman of the times. No rough overtaking, no pushing off track, and all in all, more consistent and would deliver better results. Senna is certainly overlooked on, possibly due to the accident.

[@michalhrotko]

You dressed in the Merc colors xD

[@patrickr4762]

Haha lowkey Merc fan.

[@jack7666]

Couldn’t agree with you more mate. I don’t know how to write my opinion without the keyboard warriors coming for me, but you covered most of my points very well!

[@AramiMedia]

There is a difference between being a fan of the driver and who is the better driver. A lot of people in the comments on the Senna side seem to say “I’m a Senna fan”. Of course liking the driver is ultimately the prime thing, but in terms of who was overall better, definitely Prost. Senna has the legacy. Edit: Also, you used the Senna doc as a reference? Ouch haha

[@nikoladlaka2507]

Senna- Raw speed Prost- overall driver

[@mihajlovucinic011]

The problem with 1990 start conspiracy is that the start position wasn't changed, it was the same as previous year.

[@alozzola]

I’m on Senna side but I’ve been listening to podcast about Prost and I’m starting to realise how much of a great he was too. Yes I’m on Senna side but the question is would Senna have won more or no? would he have faded out and been looked at like “Another champion and not a great”

[@christoforospaphitis4090]

Both were great drivers but in a big team if i had to choose one I would pick Prost, he was intelligent, fast and knew how to manage the race which in general is preferable to blistering pace, a win is a win and points regardless if you are 1 second ahead or 10 laps ahead, hey they don't call you a professor for no reason. That being said if I was a small team and desperately needed one or two good results that would need a driver to go way beyond the logical limits I would have picked Senna

[@wheresaldocanoe]

If I was a team boss, I would much rather have a driver with Prost's philosophy of winning at the slowest possible speed. If the car is dominant, the driver won't push the car beyond its limits to win, conserving tires, fuel and parts in the process. If the car isn't dominant, the driver can pick up the pace as needed. Prost was an expert at this style of driving and was thus able to perform with remarkable consistency. That all being said, Senna's raw speed and ability is also very enticing for a team boss. I just see Prost as a safer pair of hands.

[@billyclark6493]

I agree with you I think id have Prost mainly cause Senna pushed it too much which would end in crashes and if I needed consistent points scored and also race wins I feel Prost was just ahead. No disregard to Senna I just prefer Prost

[@andrewdotmp4]

Here, Tommo, you dropped this: 👑

[@drsshadow5595]

Tommo F1 😂

[@mikespearwood3914]

Is that Bart Simpson's head?

[@danielbrindescu8055]

The question was already answered. From the perspective of the team owner, Senna was preferable. McLaren chose him over Prost (by favouring Senna and letting Prost go), Williams took Senna in 1994, knowing that would make Prost leave. However, I would suspect that they did so in part because Senna was more popular, not because he brought better results on the track. Senna's popularity brought money from sponsors and glued the team together. If we look at performance, I think that the way Prost beat Senna was amazing. In any sport, the young talents focus on the champion, trying to emulate every move that he makes and trying to surpass him. Almost always, the young talent finds an edge over the older champion and surpasses him (which is how the sport evolves to a higher level from generation to generation). The notable exceptions are Ali beating Foreman in boxing and Prost beating Senna in F1. These competitors were so high above their rivals that they managed to find ressources to even beat the next generation. Senna developed as a F1 driver by trying to surpass Prost (whom he considered the best). And he hasn't managed to do so. Senna was getting beaten by Schumacher, Schumacher got beaten by Alonso, Alonso got beaten by Hamilton. But Prost did not get beaten by Senna.

[@dcfrank4904]

For me personally, I always favoured Prost over Senna. And I get a fair amount of flak for it for some reason. Senna's talent was really unquestionable. But frankly he wasn't a good human being, too much of a hothead, a hypocrite and really selfish beyond measure and whiny when things didn't go his way. Sure he was entertaining to see, but the measure of a man is as important as his abilities in a car. Though I'm still pained that he died. Prost wasn't nearly as flamboyant, indeed he could be downright dull. But he was consistent, very smooth and very fast. Yet, strangely off the track, he was a shy, soft spoken, very humble man. The few times he was angry, alot of it was justified anger. People often mistake kindness for weakness, treat Alain as a human being and he is very kind and respectful, but do not step on his toes. Ferrari in their arrogance stepped on his toes alot. Prost lacked the Glitter of Senna but had more Substance. Also I will confess that Prost Grand Prix was my favourite team in F1 once he bought out Ligier, It pains me that it was a disaster of a team. Still even with them gone, I adored that team, Beautiful cars. If there is one big flaw in the man is he's a little too proud of France, a little too patriotic. While as a driver it didn't hurt him much. As a team owner it cost him dearly. 1997 was one of my favourite years in F1 because of Prost Grand Prix. And also the last season where F1 felt like Formula 1. So yeah, Prost is often more looked over because of his shy, quiet nature. But on the track was where it counted, He wasn't nicknamed the professer for nothing. If I could pick one of the two to drive my car, It would definately be Prost.

[@george4821]

Senma was whiny, he was a hypocrite, he did overreact a lot but he also saved Erik Comas' life. Driving and development wise however, I would say Prost was the superior driver

[@ikerezcurra]

As much as it pisses me off the fact that you don't like Alonso, I really rate you as the best F1 youtuber out there for videos like this one. You don't always go for the typically popular opinions and the points that you give are quite solid, even though my opinion about Alain Prost hasn't changed much due to his well-known friendship with "mafia boss" Jean Marie Balestre (video suggestion right here), which helped him clinch the '89 title. But at least this debate made me think about giving more credit to Prost, so keep it up! :)

[@vukkragulj1010]

Two legends. They define each other. You can't mention one without mentioning the other one. GOAT rivalry! Prost had so strong team mates and managed to beat them all. He was also crazy fast as young, but later focused on being more a professor who wins (car setup, tactics, etc..). Senna was all about speed. Incredible talent! So passionate and going over the "red line" in acheiving goals (something I didn't like). So difficult to write about them in couple of sentences. Huge respect for both of them! And yes, the debate will never end - which is so cool. And a debate which gets you emotionaly involved every time.

[@esdffdq3180]

Prost is a huge champion with an exceptional intelligence. Had he died instead of Senna we wouldn't be debating who's best anymore...

[@roryheard1998]

loved how you predicted the Sainz move to Ferrari, pure genius, I must say I echoed your opinion to my mates saying you were right, well done mate, completely respect and understand your opinion on Prost over Senna but however disagree a little bit, probably biased from the senna documentary

[@drsshadow5595]

I think that senna would have won world titles and improve even more as a driver but I still can’t decide between them but Prost was the more mature driver and senna was more daring it’s a difficult choice to make tommo!

[@napifyy6634]

YOO TOMMO!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT?! IF YOU PICK PROST INSTEAD OF SENNA!! I'LL PICK ALPHATAURI INSTEAD OF REDBULL!!

[@napifyy6634]

@@TommoMcCluskey just kidding. Please dont do anything to me

[@esthermckenna3149]

@@N7P7 *calls police* Someone called Alpha Tauri, Torro Rosso

[@greybo4034]

@@N7P7 do you know in the current point system prey would have won 7 titles and senna only 1 . Alain prost was better in that but senna was way more than titles..

[@beeDUB75]

Senna doco was so insanely biased - if anyone is getting their info from that, I dismiss them out of hand. I watched that era live.

[@rossrreyes]

I’m old enough to have seen them race in person, 1989 and 1990. Who ever you think was faster is well and fine, and I’m sorry to say but Senna was overly obsessed with winning; never smiled, never relaxed, always high strung, never enjoyed anything outside of cars, which is actually quite sad

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

Until Senna met Gerhard Berger. Senna and Berger did practical jokes on each other all the time in their McLaren years 1990-1992.

[@beeDUB75]

Prost said he'd close the door well before the race, and yes, Senna's move at the chicane was from waaay too far back.

[@brandonm8901]

I was close to making a video on this before I saw it - great video

[@ChuckMarteau]

Senna was "faster" than Prost... a lot of people will say but based on what? Prost 1986 title on a completely outclassed McLaren is what defined Prost: fast, intelligent, methodical.... The fact that we are still discussing today who was the better driver says a lot. Both were - and it was the biggest rivalry in F1 history, we should be glad to have witnessed that (I did). From the start, Senna wanted to beat the best , and that was Alain Prost. He managed to do that many times, but not without difficulty and at times, questionable tactics. In the end, the two became great friends and both had immense respect for each other.

[@paulfennelly9884]

Fantastic video! I'm a Senna fan but Prost was a brilliant driver too

[@Bayard2024]

Two things about Prost that made him really great and that are usually forgotten : 1) he managed something in 1986 no other driver had done since Jack Brabham 26 years earlier : he kept his world title (notwithstanding by beating 2 stronger cars than his that year). 2) No other driver had more world champions as teammates (past or future) : Lauda, Senna, Rosberg, Hill and Mansell. Prost surely did not always go for a gap that existed but time really shows how great he was. I have been a Senna man for a long time despite being French but I learned to admit Prost's greatness with time.

[@tommykee12]

Prost also had Niki Lauda as a teammate. Lost 4 championships by 10.5 points. Had battles with the best . Mansell Piquet in their prime at McLaren and is 1-1 vs Senna as teammates more points, podiums and fastest laps. Arguably the most intelligent driver all time. So underrated, just because doesn’t have extravagant personality doesn’t mean not the best. Didn’t take out drivers too to win championships ala Senna and Schumacher (X2).

[@areebsiddiqui758]

Yeah, he didn't take his opponents out. He went to the biased French FIA and got them unfairly disqualified to cheat his way to the title. Don't act like Prost wasn't dirty either. Senna only did 90 to take revenge for the previous year.

[@clubpenguin13531]

@@areebsiddiqui758 sounds like excuses for Senna's dirty driving habit. And Senna would've still needed to win in Adelaide (and probably shouldn't have threw away a win in Silverstone) to win

[@fafonso558]

i take senna over Prost , even tho Senna was this person that would risk his life for a race win or a championship (1990 Japan) , but Alain is also a very good driver , after all its not easy to be in f1 let alone a 4 time world champion , i wasnt born when these were racing each other , but i have seen hours and hours of them racing ( mostly because my dad and my grandad were big f1 fans back then , and they also spoke very well of Senna so i wanted to see how fast Ayrton actually was) and there´s something different about Senna , like clarkson once said " most drivers can be spectacular in certain moments , but Senna ... he was always spectacular "

[@ivanboggs7238]

Correction pole position wasn’t changed in 1990 to favour Prost. It was always on that side. It was changed for the following year with the consent of all the drivers but this has been a narrative spread by the biased senna movie

[@beeDUB75]

Senna was Coca Cola, Prost was Cognac.

[@thanospotato7098]

I’m not a big fan of either as I was born more than a decade after they raced, but on your first point about the 89’ San Marino Grand Prix, I believe on the 1st start Senna lead into the corner, but on the restart Prost got to the corner first... So because Senna got the better start the first time he believed he could take the lead again... not disagreeing with you I’m just putting it my personal opinion. I’ve seen other people commenting this too but when Senna was ready to jump ship to Williams, Prost did him dirty and vetoed the decision , and in the end he won the title, but if he hadn’t done that who knows we could have had another titanic duel at Williams instead... also to all the people being salty in the comments about each others opinions just remember in the end Prost and Senna became friends.

[@paulbarnett5837]

How can crashing when a minute in the lead be a good reflection, prost was stuck behind Berger for most of the race explains the size of the lead, senna also crashed while under pressure, see Silverstone 1989 (spun while leading), estoril 1989 (crashed into mansell), Hungary 1989 (crashed into nannini), Suzuki 1990 (crashed into prost), couldn't beat prost with preferential treatment by McLaren

[@thomasvisscher7006]

9:02. Using the senna documentary is not really fair, because they painted Prost as a villain which he most certainly wasn't. And also before Senna there was Fittipaldi and Carlos Pace.

[@tellmelullabies5552]

My pick is Prost. The guy not just wins 4 championships but looses other 4 in the last race of the year. Think about that, he could have been 8 times champion! We can also take into account who was the team mates that he won agains: Keke Rosberg, Ayrton Sena, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill all champions!

[@JohnWarren]

FINALLY someone shares my opinion that Prost is better than Senna! He’s just better man, I can’t describe it fully but he’s just better...

[@hypeclaneu]

I'd say Prost would be a better person to work with because he was incredibly fast and very calculated and you could trust him to consistently pullout results. On the other hand Senna in my opinion had the best raw speed possibly of all time and he is also very consistent. In my opinion Senna would just take it. He was on occasion the best to ever do it and he has so many memories and Prost maybe doesn't have as much.

[@beeDUB75]

Bellof was driving faster than Senna at Monaco 1984.

[@didieronf1809]

This is such a freaking appealing, well thought out video. Well done m8.

[@giovannigiudici4508]

I think that using the word BETTER to compare these two is unfair for both sides... As Tommo said Prost has been a very good team player and, in my opinion, he has given McLaren a fundamental help to reach the level of dominance they have have achieved during the late '80s and the early '90s . But, as we seen, Senna has been a dominant driver himself... Thanks to his amazing talent and determination to reach his goals. I think that neither of the two were "better" and they have contributed in different ways to the success of the team, pushing each other to the limit. Of course they were fighting for the championship in the same car in '88 and '89 and, of course, they had those famous crashes in Japan... In 1989, even if the Senna's overtake was maybe a little bit ambitious, I think that Prost was looking for the contact for ending the title fight right there. But then, after winning the race (because he was so fucking amazing) and the title he has been penalized by Jean-Marie Balrstre for cutting the chicane (just bullshit in my opinion). And the following year (even if he shouldn't have done what he has done) he had the right to give Prost and Balestre what they gave him the year before... (English is not my first language, I apologize for eventual mistakes...)

[@patepulkkinenvtec2403]

Amen.

[@YourLoyalDeserter]

In isolation, the 1990 Japanese GP seems very out of character for Senna and looks pretty bad, but I think with context it makes more sense. Senna hated the political side of F1. Watching clips of him arguing with Balestre, it's clear that that side of it frustrated Senna and really took a lot out of him. Prost "the professor," on the other hand was brilliant at dealing with the political side and had Balestre firmly in his corner. In the 1989 Japanese GP, where Senna needed to win to be in contention for the championship, Prost crashed into him. Despite winning the race anyway, Senna was given a bogus penalty that meant he was out of the championship. So, in his eyes, the previous year he'd been robbed of the chance to beat Prost fairly by political nonsense and favoritism, and the incident that caused that was Prost hitting him. In 1990, having qualified on poll, he (and the other drivers in a vote) disagreed with which side of the track pole position was on. However, yet again, he got screwed by Balestre. Knowing that if Prost didn't finish he would be world champion, knowing that his pole position spot would put him on the inside for the first corner, and knowing what had happened to him last year, I think he saw the opportunity to get his revenge against Prost and Balestre by playing their game just this once. And so, he did what he did. It was petty, calculating, and dangerous, but I can see where he was coming from. Many things make him the legend he is today, the incredible pace, his unique driving style, how beloved he was in Brazil, and his tragic death being among them. I think one of the main things that makes him such a legend though is the exact character that you take issue with. He was one of the most emotional drivers in F1. His passion for racing was unmatched, but he was also a lot more hot-headed than Prost, a lot more sensitive. The fact that he hated the numbers games and the politics and that he would get so upset about that stuff and about losing may have made him a less good team player, for sure, but I think a lot of us share his frustrations with the politics and the biases and the press and the gap between the teams and all the other things that get in the way of pure racing, just cars and drivers on a track. Being able to better cope with that stuff would have made him a better team player, but his singular focus made him relatable for all the fans who want to see pure racing. It also gives him this elevated aura, a man with a singular focus, there to do one thing, and better than anybody else in the world at it.

[@mp4986]

7:16 Senna v Prost "we're never going to have" Um, Zack, 1988, 1989 we did have it. And it was 1-1. A Championship apiece. In-the-same-car. No offence but it shows a bias and perhaps a lack of knowledge?

[@thedorianmode8087]

Agree. I think the special guest is a bit of a Senna fanboy. I tend to rate Prost fans as connoisseurs.

[@bmolendijk7884]

i totally agree with Tommo, although there have been other drivers who trumped Senna: Stefan Bellof, if he wouldn't have died way too early in Spa that is. Stefan was even faster in Monaco in the rain in 1984 then Ayrton Senna in his backrow Tyrrell

[@rishabhaniket1952]

I feel the Prost/ Senna situation is very similar to McCartney/Lennon. In both the cases the death of the more vocal and emotional one elevated them to God status whereas the formers were seen as their inferiors which is clearly not the case.

[@orthors]

Why I'd pick Prost over Senna. Because Senna has 65 Pole Positions and 41 victories Whilst Prost has 33 Pole Positions and 51 victories.

[@INDIGOBLUE555]

It would be a fair comparison if taking into account just their McLaren years as teammates. Do you know the stats in those years ?

[@Vanessinha91Pucca]

The thing people don't realize is that a great driver isn't the one who is faster. But it's who is faster and good in sport. No cheeky cheats, no ram in to people and no unsporting acts.

[@SithMaster26]

Prost won 51 GP's, Senna won 41 GP's Tough Decision!

[@srxt6758]

Pole positions Senna: 65 Prost: 33 Which means Senna lost out 24 victories and Prost gained 18 of them. Prost shone when it mattered. He didn't bother over some one lap...

[@clubpenguin13531]

@@srxt6758 not only that... Fastest laps: Prost 41 Senna 19 When they were both at McLaren: Prost 12, Senna 6 Senna was faster in qualifying, Prost was faster during the race

[@kasperikontola4525]

You should do a video where you list best drivers with only one world championship

[@greybo4034]

Kimi will be on top no need every one knows

[@samedman1]

"Senna documentary" Fuck no, that's a "Senna bias hype film"

[@housesports000]

Senna and Prost have very different driving styles, Senna didn’t have Prost’s consistency but he was always the one who set the pace and when he could reach the limits of the car he was dominant, but Prost’s mastering of the cars strategy makes him slightly better

[@tommasorusin2940]

I see the same combo of talent, ego and personality in max verstappen, a great talent but too aggressive on track and too selfish for the team chemistry. Personally i think that Max-Charles will be the new Senna-Prost

[@alanburge2725]

Let us face it. People idolize Senna. He is God. Jesus. The chosen one. He died. Therefore he is immortal. This is psychology here. Gilles Villeneuve is a similar story. He died racing too. Also Prost is very humble. He is alive. He never risked his life too much to score points. He was clever. Thoughtful. Calculating. He did not like the rain. Senna and Villeneuve did not seem too worried by rain. It never really bothered them so much somehow. Everyone likes the big tough super hero. Prost isn't that guy.

[@bastiencollinette1979]

I would take Alain Prost because he is still alive... (Please forgive me for that) Seriously, I think both were excellent drivers but for a team principal, Prost's ability to give really good feedbacks of the car to the engineers is the thing that gives him the advantage over Senna

[@daniellino7492]

I'm from Brazil, and I can say that Senna's name is almost holy. To this day, we alwas remember and praise him for what he did.

[@fidur2]

Senna is like a Shuemacher guy: hot headed, great skill and quick, but will have loads of ups and downs. The ups will be sublime, the downs will be really dirty. Prost is like Hamilton: Great skill, consistent, not really able to get to that sublime, raw skill level, but so consistent and so few errors that they win a lot. Just 2 different driving styles. Schumi/Senna needs a n2 driver that doesn't defies the order of things. The team must run for them. The Hamilton/Prost is way more of a team player, while obviously still being selfish in that F1 driver style.

[@INDIGOBLUE555]

I agree with your portrait of these great drivers, albeit I'd like to remark that Prost had two weak points : he disliked racing on the wet and he was not that brilliant in overtaking moves.

[@abdsalim176]

you got to remember that Senna's career was cut short. We don't know what he would turn out to be. Over the years he started to learn. We saw that with Eric Comas and safety in f1. Those incidents mostly happened early in his career. You can't really compare hi to Alonso because he was good at other teams. When he was at Williams the year he died he was still fighting for the championship.