Behind the wheel... and as a team owner

_{source: f1.racing-live.com / Andreas Thomann / Credit Suisse}

Alain Prost looks back on his epic duels with Ayrton Senna, the ups and downs of his time with Ferrari and the disaster that marked his career as a team owner.

Mr Prost, You won the world championship four times, but also finished runner-up four times. When you look back, does it sometimes bother you that your trophy case isn't bigger?
"Well, you can replay the past over and over and ask yourself what could have been if only - Certainly, some defeats were painful. In 1983 I finished only two points behind Nelson Piquet. A year later, Niki Lauda edged me out by just a half a point. And when Ayrton won the world championship in 1988, I had 11 more points than him - but at that time, only the 11 best results counted. To me, more important than the victories is the fact that from 1981 I was in contention for the title in just about every season, often with the last race deciding the championship."

Piquet, Lauda, Senna: These three drivers were also your greatest rivals over the course of your Formula One career. Who impressed you the most?
"In the beginning, Piquet was the benchmark - a very tough competitor. Niki was impressive in terms of his consistent performance. When he beat me for the world championship in 1984, I was actually faster in the races most of the time, but he put his strengths to better use. I learned an important lesson from that. But if there's a driver who stood above the rest - both for his driving and his mental abilities - it was Ayrton Senna."