The key reason Alain Prost ‘asked’ McLaren to sign Ayrton Senna as his teammate

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Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna produced one of Formula 1’s greatest and fiercest rivalries in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

There was some talent in F1 during this period including the likes of Nelson Piquet, Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell. But Prost and Senna were arguably a level above the field.

The former won his first championship in 1985 – the year after the latter made his debut in F1 with Toleman. The duo went on to win seven titles and 92 Grand Prix between them.

Prost and Senna are regarded as one of the greatest talents to ever drive in F1. Their exceptional racecraft and skill behind the wheel were adored by fans all over the world.

The debate about who out of Prost and Senna was the better driver is a topic that is still discussed today. Jackie Stewart believes Prost was better and that he was overlooked by the Brazilian.

The two rivals won all of their championships with McLaren, with Prost and Senna racing as teammates at the Woking-based outfit in 1988 and 1989.

Alain Prost ‘asked’ McLaren to sign Ayrton Senna over Nelson Piquet

Heading into 1988 as a two-time champion, Prost was entering his fifth season with McLaren. The Frenchman was key in the decision-making processes at the team

McLaren had planned to put Piquet alongside Prost in 1988, but it was another Brazilian that the latter wanted next to him.

Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Prost explained how he ‘asked’ Honda to bring the ‘talented; Senna to McLaren from Lotus – blissfully unaware of the intense rivalry the move would cause.

Asked whether he had the power to veto Senna’s move to McLaren, Prost revealed: “More than the power of veto. I asked Honda to put Ayrton in the team.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Alain Prost including Ayrton Senna rivalry and failed F1 team

“Because it was very simple. We were in Japan in a meeting in a hotel room and that was already the year before when we started the negotiation.

“They wanted to put Prost and Piquet in the future and I said: ‘Why Nelson?’

“And Nelson was a good friend also, we were getting [on] very well and Ayrton I didn’t know him. I only met him once in Germany for Mercedes racing [at the] Nurburgring.

“I said: ‘Why do you want to take Nelson? We have a young guy, this very talented driver. We need to have the best for the team.

“That started like this, I had the veto, I could say no for sure”.

Alain Prost blocked Ayrton Senna’s move to Ferrari

Senna beat Prost for his first title in 1988 by three points. The following year, the McLaren drivers took the championship to the final race in Japan. where they would collide.

Senna was disqualified from the race, handing Prost his third title. The Frenchman left McLaren for Ferrari in the wake of the friction between him and the Brazilian.

The pair crashed again at the Japanese Grand Prix in 1990 – this time with Senna winning the championship. The Brazilian grabbed his third title the following year.

It had been known that Senna wanted to race for Ferrari at some point in his career and had been in talks with the Maranello outfit over a potential move. However, Prost blocked Senna’s transfer, not wanting a repeat of their time at McLaren.

The Frenchman retired after winning his fourth title in 1993 with Williams and his arch-rival went on to replace him in 1994 where he tragically lost his life at Imola. Senna told Prost he was missed in F1 before his fatal crash, highlighting the great respect the rivals had for each other despite their differences.