The secret Alain Prost meeting that blocked Ayrton Senna from racing for Ferrari in Formula 1

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Very few rivalries in Formula 1 have been fought as fiercely as the battle between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

During the 1980s and 1990s, there were plenty of world-class drivers in F1, but Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were arguably a level above all of their competitors.

The pair won seven world championships between them and battled viciously for supremacy season after season.

Prost won his first title in 1985, the year after Senna made his debut in the sport with Toleman.

Senna had already established himself as the master of Monaco but had to wait until 1988 when he joined McLaren for his first championship.

He pipped Prost to that title by just three points and for the next two seasons, they were the leading drivers in Formula 1.

The pair came to blows at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix when they were teammates at McLaren, with Senna disqualified from the race after a collision that handed the Frenchman the title.

The following year at the same track they crashed again, but on this occasion, it was Senna who was crowned champion as a result of their tangle, this time with Prost driving for Ferrari.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera in 2020, Piero Fusaro – Ferrari’s president at the time – explained how close he came to signing Senna for 1991 until Prost stepped in to stop the sport’s two fastest drivers from being paired together once again.

How Alain Prost stopped Ayrton Senna from racing for Ferrari in Formula 1

Ferrari’s sporting director Cesare Fiorio began negotiations with Senna much earlier in 1990 to sound out whether the Brazilian would be keen to race for Ferrari.

A contract was presented to Ferrari’s top management after that season’s French Grand Prix – which Prost won – that would have seen Senna replace Nigel Mansell.

However, Ferrari’s chiefs never signed off on the deal and explaining what happened, Fusaro said: “The contract was in my hands but Alain Prost, bypassing the hierarchies, asked for a private meeting with Gianni Agnelli, who granted it.

“Upon leaving the meeting, Prost officially declared that he had been reconfirmed at Ferrari for the 1991 season.

“At that moment I was taken aback and, respecting the company hierarchies, I consulted with Cesare Romiti [an executive at Fiat] regarding the signature to be placed on Ayrton Senna ‘s contract, also because the confirmation of Alain Prost in the team automatically excluded the presence of the Brazilian champion.”

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

Fusaro attempted to convince Ferrari again that they should continue with their plans to sign Senna despite Prost’s doubts and explained: “The repeated insistence [with relative considerations in support of the ratification of the contract that was only missing the signatures], went on for a long time and ended with a no!

“The confirmation of Prost, since it could not be questioned was a choice that, rightly or wrongly, was attributed, by now officially, to Gianni Agnelli [former head to Fiat].”

Ayrton Senna missing out on 1991 Ferrari move might have been a blessing in disguise

Senna would have known by the time the Japanese Grand Prix rolled around – where he collided with Prost to win the title – that he was going to be staying at McLaren for another season.

It proved to be the right choice – if he did have any choice in the matter – as he dominated the 1991 campaign, with Prost finishing fifth in the Drivers’ Championship.

Prost retired at the end of the 1991 season before returning to F1 for one last season in 1993 where he won his fourth and final title.

READ MORE: All to know about Ayrton Senna including Alain Prost rivalry and Imola crash

His departure opened up a spot in the team for Senna in 1994 and he started that fateful season with three pole positions and three retirements before the devastating events of the San Marino Grand Prix where he lost his life.

Prost paid tribute to Senna on the 30th anniversary of his death, highlighting the respect they had for each other’s talents.

But at the time, the Frenchman wanted to do everything he could to avoid another intra-team battle with one of the sport’s greatest-ever drivers.