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Prost welcomes Senna

06. Sep 2024 
by Ziv Knoll
1597 views

In 1988, thanks to the relationship he had built up with Honda throughout the 1987 season with Lotus, and with the approval and even the recommendation of McLaren’s number-one driver and then-double world champion, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna joined Ron Dennis’ McLaren team (picture-above).

The experienced pair quickly realised, despite their personal rivalry, they had to work together, to fine-tune their already excellent Steve Nichols-designed McLaren MP4/4-Honda and turn it into an unbeatable machinery. Both drivers were evenly matched in this 1988 season; Senna being the faster of the two in qualifying and Prost, so smart and efficient in the races.

The two drivers had completely different driving styles described by esteemed journalist Nigel Roebuck as such: “If you see Prost driving an F1 car you’d think you could do it yourself. If you see Senna driving the same car, you’d absolutely knew you couldn’t.” 

While this comment could sound like over-praising Senna, who was extraordinary indeed, I think Roebuck just meant that Prost drove in such a way that it looked “easy”, while Senna drove in such aggressive fashion, that it seemed impossible to replicate. Compliments for both. Results followed, Senna won eight races for seven to Prost, meaning 15 wins out of 16 races for the now unbeatable MP4/4.

 

Source: DR

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