Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 27, 2007



Alain Prost is a retired French racing driver and four-time Formula One World Champion. In terms of World Drivers' Championship titles, only Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher have been more successful in the sport's history. He held the record for most Grand Prix victories from 1987 to 2001, when it was broken by Schumacher. Prost discovered karting at the age of 14 during a family holiday. He won the French and European F3 championships before joining McLaren in 1980 at the age of 25. He finished in the points on his Formula One debut and took his first of 51 race victories at his home Grand Prix in France a year later, while he was driving for the Renault Factory team. Prost employed a smooth, relaxed style behind the wheel, deliberately modeling himself on personal heroes like Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark. In 1997 Prost took over the French Ligier team, running it as Prost Grand Prix until it went bankrupt in 2001. In 2006, Prost started his fourth year in the Andros Trophy, which is an Ice Racing competition. Denis Jenkinson, a well respected journalist, describes Prost as "a very warm and uncomplicated man who doesn't rely on passion or inspiration. Nor does he indulge in showmanship or bullshit. He is capable of a level of mental discipline beyond the comprehension of most people." (more...)

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