Four time Formula One Driver’s Champion Alain Prost was born on this day in 1955. The French race car driver is tied for third most F1 Championships with Sebastian Vettel. He falls behind Juan Manuel Fangio, with five, and Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, who are tied with seven trophies each.
Top: Prost practicing for his first event for Ferrari, the 1990 United States Grand Prix. By Stuart Seeger from College Station, Texas, USA – Prost Champion, CC BY 2.0,
Above: Alain Prost driving a Renault RE40 by Jake Archibald, CC BY 2.0
Prost began his racing career in karting at the age of 14 after discovering the sport on a family holiday. By age 24 he had worked his way up from Formula Three to join McLaren’s Formula One team in 1980. Between his rookie year and 1993, Prost racked up 51 wins, including his championships in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993. Known for a smooth and relaxed racing style, Prost earned the nickname “The Professor” for his intellectual approach to racing.
