The Problems of Prost Grand Prix

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 19. 05. 2024
  • Alain Prost. Legendary F1 driver? Absolutely. Four time world champion? Yes indeed. Former team owner? Erm, I guess so. Successful team owner? Well… not quite. Today we’re taking a look back at Alain’s Prost Grand Prix operation and its rollercoaster ride of dizzying highs and crashing lows.
    We cover everything from the initial seeds of team ownership, via the rumours of an all-French team dream brought about through French propaganda, and onto the entire tenure of Prost Grand Prix and their time in F1, with a wildly swinging tale from championship underdogs, to total bankruptcy. Just how did a driver, praised for his tactical mastery on track, end up making a series of blunders and errors whilst sat on the pitwall?
    Plus No More Jockeys fans will rejoice at the mention of Mert Aksac.
    Twitter: / mobilechicaneyt
    Instagram: / themobilechicane
    Facebook: / themobilechicanepage
    Timestamps:
    0:00 Introduction
    1:16 (1989) The First Seeds
    3:40 (1990-92) Ferrari, then Equipe France
    12:28 (1993-96) An Interim Period
    16:32 (1997) The Successful First Year
    26:02 (1998) The Difficult Second Album
    31:38 (1999) Things Can Only Get Better
    35:50 (2000) Disaster
    43:51 (2001) Dark Clouds with Sunny Spots
    52:53 (2002) Team For Sale!
    55:48 Conclusion - What Went Wrong?
  • Sport

Komentáře • 375

  • @GPRaceSimulation
    @GPRaceSimulation Před rokem +143

    I worked for John Barnard's B3 technologies for the Prost years. There are so many stories behind this story, there's not enough room in these comments to tell all the stories. We witnessed so much from our UK base, and I'm sure the guys in Paris would have even more eye watering stories. The Peugeot engine was a disaster, I was at a test at Silverstone where the engine blew up 10 seconds after being installed in the car. The video gets John Barnards position in the team wrong. John and B3 were consultants, with control over only certain areas of the car. The French chief engineers didn't like him or want him there, and they lied and made working with them near impossible at times. The cars were mechanically pretty advanced. JB had developed our areas to be based on the Ferrari developments he had done a few years earlier. Many of the mechanical designs popular on modern F1 cars started with our work on the Prost. Fore example carbon pedals, the small carbon fire extinguisher and the way brake discs are mounted to the axles.
    The wind tunnel produced spurious results for AP02, and the French aero guys lied about these results and their calibration processes. I was at the seat fitting for Alesi and Heidfeld and the French mechanics were just horrible to Nick.
    Running and F1 team in France was difficult, the country including a lot of the suppliers of key parts close for all of August. The rules on employment meant staff couldn't be laid off to save money at key times etc. Plus AP had dodgy directors in place with a focus solely on their own financial well being, which I'm surprised the video didn't cover.
    The French government had promised to support Prost but never came with the money after all the promises that lead to AP being persuaded that he could get and afford the Ferrari engines.

    • @Gibberish1983
      @Gibberish1983 Před rokem +16

      Thanks for giving us a glimpse of the circumstances of those years. Such a shame that nationalistic feelings and utopias are put before cooperation and using the best people and resources available regardless of nationality.

    • @crystalracing4794
      @crystalracing4794 Před rokem

      Damn

    • @ITFNBiteBayKon
      @ITFNBiteBayKon Před rokem

      r/thathappened

    • @ventisette.
      @ventisette. Před rokem +5

      I would be even more curious about what the Ferrari powertrain guys had to say for 2001. Given the great mutual respect (sarcasm) between us Italians and the French I would not be surprised if Ferrari ripped them off intentionally!

    • @jackmiller-johnston8689
      @jackmiller-johnston8689 Před rokem +10

      So in basic terms, the French nuked Prost in every possible way. Damn, hearing this side of the story makes me feel incredibly sorry for AP. That said, practially ostracising Nakano in 1997 until Panis broke his leg was a massive own goal on Prost's part. Thank you so much for telling us your side of things.

  • @camillaquelladegliaggettiv4303

    Man you're the hidden gem of F1 CZcams. I'm a huge F1 history nerd, and yet your videos always leave me entertained and with new bits of knowledge, without fail. Keep it up

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +7

      Thanks so much!

    • @BiggieTrismegistus
      @BiggieTrismegistus Před rokem +1

      It's great, isn't it? I'm an American who started watching F1 when NBC Sports got the coverage rights in 2013 so there's a lot I didn't see first hand. We hear a lot about the successes of the past but the failures are just as interesting to me. I anxiously await every video from The Mobile Chicane to add to my motorsport knowledge.

  • @1greenMitsi
    @1greenMitsi Před rokem +65

    those prosts had utterly iconic liveries with an absolutley gorgeous deep blue mettalic piantwork

    • @6lemans10
      @6lemans10 Před rokem +4

      I called the AP-03 and AP-04 "the sexy beasts."

    • @kevinbashnick
      @kevinbashnick Před rokem +1

      I agree. I love the way prost cars looked

    • @Gravengaard
      @Gravengaard Před rokem +1

      Good times on the grid with metallic blue (Prost) and metallic british racing green (Jaguar) ❤💙💚

  • @King_Goat_JJ
    @King_Goat_JJ Před rokem +44

    If Panis in 97 didn't break his leg & Prost finished well high up in the constructors championship, maybe in 98 when it's his first actually car, putting a team together that would of exposed Prost's skills even quicker. It's one of those things where I only knew Prost as team owner before I knew he used to be one of the best drivers in past

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +15

      That's a fair point - you wonder how quickly the press would've hounded him if they dropped from runners-up to lower midfield in the space of a year.. and what knock on effects that might've had!

    • @tubadude07
      @tubadude07 Před 9 měsíci +3

      Biggest what ifs , Panis was top tier in early 97

    • @Alteo147
      @Alteo147 Před 6 měsíci

      I am deeply convinced that Panis would have won the French GP in 1997 if the car did not crash in Montreal, as the Prost JS45 was fast and reliable, and the whole team knew the Magny-Cours track by heart forbeing based there. Panis proved many times that he had the potential to win a Grand Prix this year, so did the JS45 after leading the Austrian GP.
      The French GP was his best chance of winning, and ironicly, he broke his legs only one week before.

    • @mrkipling2201
      @mrkipling2201 Před 5 měsíci

      ​​@@Alteo147even though he won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1996 with Ligier. I'm not trying to be sarcastic either. If you didn't know that my apologies. Or did you mean best chance of winning with Prost??

    • @Alteo147
      @Alteo147 Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@mrkipling2201 Yes, I actually meant that Panis' best chance of winning with Prost was with the 1997 JS45, and his best chance of winning this year was at the France GP, on the Magny-Cours track he and his team know by heart. :)

  • @victorcsavage
    @victorcsavage Před rokem +71

    I just wanted to join the crowd of people praising you and this video. You're insanely underrated for how high-quality and thorough your videos are, and I wish you all the luck in finding your audience.

  • @neospoilershow2708
    @neospoilershow2708 Před rokem +37

    They weren’t the fastest in the cars, but they were a Beauty. The 1999-2001 front wings looks amazing and all of the 2001 car looked amazing as well

    • @BiggieTrismegistus
      @BiggieTrismegistus Před rokem

      That wasn't an era I experienced first hand but I think the cars from that time look really nice. IMO opinion the worst are from the mid to late 2000s. There were just too many damned aero elements. I think the various formula series (F1, IndyCar, F2, F3, Indy NXT, Super Formula) current have a nice clean look kind of like the the late 90s-early 2000s F1 cars

    • @apophisstr6719
      @apophisstr6719 Před 11 měsíci +1

      @@BiggieTrismegistus The current cars would look amazing if their body sizes aren’t so outrageously big. Shrink them down while keeping the wheel size and they would look like the early 90’s F1 with hotwheel treatments.

    • @6lemans10
      @6lemans10 Před 11 měsíci +3

      The Prost and Benettons from 2001 were sexy beasts.

    • @neospoilershow2708
      @neospoilershow2708 Před 11 měsíci

      @@6lemans10 yeah they were honestly so cool, would love to have a diecast

  • @BiggieTrismegistus
    @BiggieTrismegistus Před rokem +41

    Another comment for the algorithm... I liked that you highlighted Ericsson going from a mid-tier F1 driver to a Indy 500 champion. Both he and Alexander Rossi left F1 but still managed to get their names etched in the history books of motorsport. I hope it's a path more F1 drivers will follow in the future. Indycar isn't F1 obviously but it's insanely competitive but with a more laid-back less corporate attitude. My number one dream is to see Daniel Ricciardo going for Indycar championships in the next few years. It would fit his driving style and with his charisma he could become the face of a series that's benefited from the explosion in F1 popularity in the US.

    • @bastianmann4936
      @bastianmann4936 Před rokem +3

      I agree with you. Especially the indy 500 is probably the hardest race to win on earth.

    • @BiggieTrismegistus
      @BiggieTrismegistus Před rokem +1

      @@bastianmann4936 It takes endurance of both car and driver and a lot of skill. I know F1 fans think driving on ovals is easy and I did too when I was a kid. Then I went to an Indycar race at Michigan International Speedway (a half-mile shorter than Indy but with much higher banked corners) when I was 14. Those cars are way more oversteery ("loose" in American racing parlance) than they look an TV. Going 230mph in a car that's on the limit of its traction, mere feet from walls, for 500 miles is scary enough. Now add 32 other cars. _My_ heart rate was elevated just from watching.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +3

      Thanks! I was a little nervous using the Ericsson analogy in case people were about to crawl out of the woodwork and say he wasn't a mid-tier F1 driver. But like you say, both he and Rossi have knocked it up a notch in Indycar.
      Ricciardo to IndyCar would be interesting. You wonder if that would be more driven through IndyCar needing his personality, than Ricciardo needing to drive IndyCar.

    • @disclaimer.imjokin
      @disclaimer.imjokin Před rokem

      Shows how shite the Americans are really don't it

  • @VkmSpouge
    @VkmSpouge Před rokem +20

    Fantastic look back at Prost GP. Back in 1997 I was really pleased to see Olivier Panis and the team up at the front challenging Williams and Ferrari and then absolutely gutted when he had his awful shunt in Canada. The Prost team always struck me as having unfulfilled potential.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Thanks for watching! Perhaps Alonso and Aston can replicate that Panis potential this year.

  • @TeamEmutest
    @TeamEmutest Před rokem +44

    Very good video but there's a quite important thing you didn't mention :
    Jacques Chirac was a huge support for Prost GP but in 1997, the power changed from his party, RPR, to the left opposition PS and the new government didn't give the support Prost would have been given by Chirac and his crew.

    • @BiggieTrismegistus
      @BiggieTrismegistus Před rokem +7

      The idea of a government supporting an F1 team seems crazy to me. Not that I would mind if President Biden budgeted a couple billion in government money for Haas.

    • @simonkevnorris
      @simonkevnorris Před rokem

      Don't forget that some governments just sponsor the race and not the teams.

    • @Athrun82
      @Athrun82 Před rokem +1

      It didn't start with Prost though. When the team was still called Ligier and the socialists came into power (I think it was them) they began supporting Guy Ligier. Remember in 1992 Ligier was given Renault engines and they used them until 1994 (with the best result P2 and P3 at the battlefield that was the German Grand Prix of Hockenheim of 1994)

    • @gamefan56
      @gamefan56 Před rokem +4

      @@BiggieTrismegistus Similar situation kinda happened to Alex Yoong with Minardi. Paul Stoddart tried to drag the Malysian goverment to support Yoong financially if I remember right.

    • @TeamEmutest
      @TeamEmutest Před rokem +3

      @@Athrun82 Yes, Guy Ligier was friend with Socialist President François Mitterand, and that helped him a lot. But Prost had the opposite, friendship with the president who did not have a governement in his favor.

  • @KR1736
    @KR1736 Před rokem +73

    I imagine Flavio laughing like a mad man after ripping Prost off selling him this

    • @paulsontag9233
      @paulsontag9233 Před rokem +37

      ??? I hate to take his side on anything but Briatore sold him a healthy midfield plus team. Prost ran it into the ground plain and simple.

    • @RANDOMZBOSSMAN1
      @RANDOMZBOSSMAN1 Před rokem +31

      @@paulsontag9233 this tbh Ligier in the Briatore/Walkinshaw years of 94-96 was the healthiest the team had been since it’s heyday (mostly because it used a lot of Benetton design to get it up to speed)
      However, you would hate to do business with either party lol

    • @KR1736
      @KR1736 Před rokem +3

      @@paulsontag9233 it can still be a healthy team and yet charge Alain more than what it’s worth. But I get your point

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +28

      I refuse to believe Flavio Briatore to do anything dodgy in F1 circles...

    • @FrankypankyV8
      @FrankypankyV8 Před rokem +1

      @@TheMobileChicane

  • @leggera1
    @leggera1 Před rokem +18

    Fantastic, I’d never done a deep dive on the Prost GP project myself until now, a lot of blanks filled in my knowledge.
    Great vid!!

  • @giovannifebus3700
    @giovannifebus3700 Před rokem +17

    This video appeared in my recommendations and it's awesome. I always wanted to know the history of this team and man is it a up and down one.

  • @joelharris8475
    @joelharris8475 Před rokem +19

    I can't even imagine how long it took you to research this video; it's honestly tough to source information for midfield/backmarker teams in the last 10 years, let alone when the internet was still in it's infancy. Amazing video!

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +5

      Far too long! But that level of research justifies the money I spend on old season review journals, so it's absolutely worth it 😉

    • @jackbarras7119
      @jackbarras7119 Před rokem

      ​@@TheMobileChicane I have tapes if you wanna borrow. But VHS cause I'm coooooolllllll😂

  • @DimZ_F1
    @DimZ_F1 Před rokem +6

    What amazes me even more is that, although Alain Prost failed miserably as a team owner/manager, he held for decades after that important consultant roles in big manufacturers and teams involved in F1 racing.
    Despite this being a story i know very well, the video was so well made that it kept me hooked. Congrats!

  • @drewsmith3673
    @drewsmith3673 Před rokem +20

    I cannot believe you're currently below 6k subs, and not into a sixth digit. Amazing content. I was so happy when I saw this video was >60 minutes, as opposed to a typical 6-10 from a host of other content creators. I hope this is working out for you! It's immediately evident that your videos are well researched and put together. Really appreciate your smooth narration and style. I very much look forward to more. Good luck, and good day!

  • @n.b.5258
    @n.b.5258 Před rokem +5

    New to the channel, great content. One note, Senna crashed at Australia in 1989, and would have lost the championship to Prost anyway. Everyone makes a big deal about the crash in Suzuka, but it didn't really alter the final result.

  • @rich1701
    @rich1701 Před rokem +11

    Alain should have maintained the connections with Renault despite their departure from the sport. Renault had to develop their new 111 degree concept in public and i’m sure they could have benefited greatly from having a second team to support that programme. Instead they had a couple of misfiring benettons at the back of the grid for the start of the 2001 season

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +3

      Just imagine that alternate universe where Prost sells the team to Diniz, and we get a pair of Diniz-Renaults on the 2002 grid..

  • @Kris9kris
    @Kris9kris Před rokem +5

    Mate, your content is a breath of fresh air in a space where most videos are either 1. someone regurgitating blatantly obvious facts about a driver or a race with this moronic feigned excitement, 2. sensationalistic paddock gossip and clickbait, 3. reciting slightly modified Wikipedia articles 4. Someone running his or her mouth about trivialities just long enough so that they can claim ad revenue. Keep up the good work! 😎

  • @RobJaskula
    @RobJaskula Před rokem +5

    Oh god that Brundle/Blundell pairing was a nightmare for broadcasters around the world. "Brundell" was the true star that season 😂

  • @DankeSeb5
    @DankeSeb5 Před rokem +7

    This video is truly worth the wait!

  • @SpaceHCowboy
    @SpaceHCowboy Před dnem

    Hi mate, great video, 2nd time watching it..
    Pointless fact.... During the late 90s when my father was working as the Accounts Manager for Agfa Gaevert, in that period Agfa were a premium sponsor of Prost from 98-01.
    I remember the Prost merchandise Dad used to bring home for me, hats, jackets, flags, posters, jumpers, bags, models, magazines, teddys, stationery etc etc.
    All manner of things.
    My point is and if my memory serves me, the amount of money Agfa paid Prost as sponsor was to the tune of $15 million a year for 4 years.
    $60 million over 4 years from one sponsor for a midfield team.
    Mental.....

  • @rossrreyes
    @rossrreyes Před rokem +8

    Prost gets a lot of credit for just trying. It’s a mountain most men wouldn’t attempt to climb

  • @alvaroff81
    @alvaroff81 Před měsícem +2

    Amazing narration and an excellent conclusion to this history that has made me rethink my own leadership skills. Thank you.

  • @RBG9000
    @RBG9000 Před rokem +4

    This channel will inevitably blow up

  • @martintaiani
    @martintaiani Před rokem +4

    12:54
    The dr evil fade to the cigarette smoking while synched with “200 million” is a thing of beauty.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +2

      You don't want to know how much time I wasted getting that synched up..

    • @martintaiani
      @martintaiani Před rokem

      @@TheMobileChicane this makes me appreciate it more. A well earned sub.

  • @boing615
    @boing615 Před rokem +10

    Good vid, you missed a couple of points on the management side though, I seem to recall a costly and difficult factory move from Magny Cours (with it's own test track) to Paris and some problems with French unions along the way.

  • @BerserkerRohan
    @BerserkerRohan Před rokem +15

    Prost did show promise in the beginning, despite their 1997 car being a carry over of Ligier's 1996 car but then things came crashing down and I agree that most of the blame for that was Prost just not having what it takes to manage the team which caused the falling out with Peugeot, which was one the catalysts for their lack of money.
    I still rate Prost a lot as a driver since his career as a driver was a mighty and his more smarter driver style was pretty amazing to hear about. Comparing it to Prost GP is night and day and I can totally see why Prost thought the team was such a massive regret of his.
    It was really fun learning more about this team especially since it was a team before my time and I can't wait to see what you have in store for the future.
    The F1 season started interestingly. Despite the Red Bull dominance, Aston Martin lived up to the hype quite well with that podium and it will be fun to see what that team gets up to in the future. I am not expecting a Frenzten in 1999 performance from Alonso where he challenges for the title but I do see more great race results for the Silverstone based team in the future. Also Williams scored a point and you can't complain about that.

    • @Fayheurblode
      @Fayheurblode Před rokem +2

      I’m not that sure that Prost didn’t have what it takes to manage the team, as to me it seemed as if the Peugeot engine were so unreliable that it was the main reason they had issues in the beginning, and after the motorist left there wasn’t enough money in the bank to do better as not only the motors were expensive, but the running of the team were too, and not enough sponsors were willing to be associated with such an unreliable car

    • @BerserkerRohan
      @BerserkerRohan Před rokem +1

      @@Fayheurblode I can see what you mean since those Peugeot put Prost on the back foot after 1997. If only Renault was still around.

    • @Fayheurblode
      @Fayheurblode Před rokem +2

      @@BerserkerRohan from what I heard it was the initial plan, for Prost to run on Renault engines. As Renault was still largely own by the country, it would likely had happened, if the French president at the time, Jacques Chirac, didn’t made a major misstep with the dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale, one of the two organs of the French Parliament, which allowed the other major political party to get the majority there, and then the support from the government disappeared overnight…

    • @BerserkerRohan
      @BerserkerRohan Před rokem +1

      @@Fayheurblode It is a shame things turned out like that.

    • @Fayheurblode
      @Fayheurblode Před rokem +1

      @@BerserkerRohan well, I can only agree with that sentiment

  • @Arrows
    @Arrows Před rokem +7

    Another incredible video for F1 history lovers like me. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you very much. :)

  • @xuartema4067
    @xuartema4067 Před rokem +5

    Good summary by the Daily Telegraph: "no one made the driving of an F1 car look so effortless but no one made the running of an F1 team look so arduous"..... than Alain Prost. All is said.

  • @rowds
    @rowds Před 7 měsíci +3

    Olivier Panis was an underrated driver. Shame about Montreal 97, he was never the same.

  • @dansmith6909
    @dansmith6909 Před rokem +5

    Incidentally, Ligier make a lot of "sans permis" (no licence) moped cars in France.

  • @skippychompy916
    @skippychompy916 Před rokem +5

    This is my favorite F1 video I’ve seen in a great long while, bravo. You’ve earned a subscription.

  • @BiggieTrismegistus
    @BiggieTrismegistus Před rokem +8

    Great stuff as always. It interesting to learn about the failures from F1's past because we always hear so much about the success. The failures might be more entertaining and (in their own way) more enlightening.

  • @mariz9084
    @mariz9084 Před rokem +6

    That's remarkable content, that is. I don't know why and how I just managed to stumble upon this video (and your channel, to which I subscripted sharpish) only today, but there you go. Thanks so much!
    That being said, the picture of Trulli signing for Jordan in 1999 reminded me of the huge momentum Trulli, and Jordan, for that matter, created for themselves. I was only a kid back then but in the formative years & process of what would leave me a complete and utter F1 nerd at the current age of 32, almost embarrassingly so (if you asked my wife & friends).
    To this day I remember the excitement I felt about the prospect of a team that was all the rage back then signing a driver who, as you neatly worked out in this video, showed great potential of being a future champion. But, and this is where I'm going, Trulli never really fulfilled said potential, which would be an interesting story in and of itself. Greetings from Germany!

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Thank you so much for the kind comment, and welcome to the channel!

  • @Duval-In-The-Wall
    @Duval-In-The-Wall Před 8 měsíci +1

    You deserve more subscribers mate, keep at it 👍

  • @The_ZeroLine
    @The_ZeroLine Před rokem +3

    If someone doesn’t know who Prost is they should be caned, unless they started watching F1 in the last six months. Stewart, meanwhile, had a great run for a newbie. Prost’s run in the Ferrari in 1990 was one of the best driver performances in history.

  • @incorrectbeans
    @incorrectbeans Před rokem +5

    Awesome stuff. Love the (more or less) backmarker content. Looking forward to whatever comes next.

  • @lazaglider
    @lazaglider Před rokem +1

    The greatest joy about CZcams for me, is finding small channels which produce great content. I have now doubt your success will multiply in rapid order. Wonderful video.

  • @DuncanCunningham
    @DuncanCunningham Před rokem +6

    I love it.. great research and presentation.

  • @The_ZeroLine
    @The_ZeroLine Před rokem +3

    This video was great and after looking at your video library, which is unique (while most retrospective channels all cover the same old stories to death), I’ve subbed. I see a bright future here.

    • @BiggieTrismegistus
      @BiggieTrismegistus Před rokem +1

      I have a feeling we're in close to the ground floor of the next big F1 CZcamsr. The videos are always great and I was thrilled to finally learn where Michael Andretti went for a year or so back when I was a kid.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Thank you so much! Welcome to the channel.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Very kind words! Thank you.

  • @planetsalespodcast2449
    @planetsalespodcast2449 Před rokem +5

    This is such incredible great content. I Love all your Videos and really recommended them around the German F1 fan podcast community „Starting Grid“. Especially as you always focus on so many details and niches and small Teams and events that Journalist years later always leave out. Keep up the great work, can’t wait for the next!

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem

      Awesome, thank you! Appreciate the recommendations and I hope you and The Starting Grid are enjoying the videos!

  • @zanemarte9877
    @zanemarte9877 Před rokem +3

    I have looked at one other video that summarized the whole drama between Alain Prost and his dream of owning a team, and I was suprised about how it failed because of engines from an unreliable manufacturer. But after watching this and listening to his Beyond The Grid episode from 2018 I didn't realize how difficult it really is to own and run a team in Formula 1, and there was more to it than Peugeot giving the team a s***box in 1998 and 2000. Alain Prost himself said "2 days before signing the contract and buying Ligier I told the French President I don't want to do it anymore but the French President told Prost we will help you at a later date." Yet of course that never happened as Peugeot left at the end of 2000 but didn't leave completely as they provided engines to Arrows and Minardi until the end of 2002 as Asiatech.
    Sadly I believe the decline and the end of Prost Grand Prix came from Olivier Panis' (truly his) career ending injury crash at Canada '97 he was never the same driver since then which is a shame considering the true potential he had. He could've being world champion and he could've brought Alain Prost to glory as a team owner it just wasn't meant to be I guess.

  • @kufgeo
    @kufgeo Před rokem +3

    Your narration is great, as well as the humor dispersed within it. Subscribed

  • @fishsick
    @fishsick Před rokem +3

    This is superb, entertaining and informative, well edited, and the first futurama reference made me spit tea all over the place due to the unexpectedness :D

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Awesome, thank you! There's always time for Futurama references!

  • @user-ml2ge7cl7e
    @user-ml2ge7cl7e Před rokem +3

    I enjoyed all the information and analysis of the video, thanks for a such quality content.
    Going back in the 90´s. Can you make another vid about the failure of Tom Walkinshaw Racing in F1 and the latest Arrows days? A similar story with other interesting facts.
    Greetings from Argentina.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Arrows would be a great story to tell. I’ll add that idea to my list!

  • @douglasladowski6342
    @douglasladowski6342 Před rokem +7

    Excellent work that puts the big media efforts to shame.

  • @Colevid19
    @Colevid19 Před rokem +3

    Keep up this sort of content and I can’t see this channel breaking 100k

  • @CartoonNetworkGlitches
    @CartoonNetworkGlitches Před rokem +3

    I loved binging through a lot of your videos as you always seem to hit the spot with what to choose for topics like many of the videos that you made haven't been nearly documented as well as you do so I have to give you props to that and I am excited to see more videos come from

  • @Jay_The_Cat
    @Jay_The_Cat Před rokem +6

    Great video. One does wonder why Peugeot changed the terms of their deal at the last minute - it's quite a step down from five years of free engines to three years that you have to contribute towards...

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +3

      Thank you! Regarding Peugeot, I couldn't find any obvious answers as to why their deal changed last minute. I believe there was a big shift in French politics at the time, potentially it was a fallout from there.

    • @Jay_The_Cat
      @Jay_The_Cat Před rokem +2

      @@TheMobileChicane It is quite bizarre. I always thought Peugeot had one of the strongest powerplants of the 1997 season with good reliability. Yet after joining Prost, the engines become hand grenades? 🤔

  • @orcastrike7750
    @orcastrike7750 Před rokem +2

    What a relaxing and informative listen, had this on all throughout work today. Keep doing what you’re doing man, we need more high quality F1 history channels like yourself!

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Thank you - glad it could power you through your work day!

  • @richardmorrish
    @richardmorrish Před rokem +3

    Great content, you deserve a much larger audience. Very few provide such top quality content even those with tv budgets.
    Much appreciated.
    Subscribed so you have one more. Thank you

  • @Merc_CW
    @Merc_CW Před rokem +1

    insanely high quality to come across on first interaction with a channel; after taking a scan of the channel, the other stories you've covered look like they're gonna be fantastic watches. cannot wait to dive into your channel, keep up the great work

  • @eoincassin4265
    @eoincassin4265 Před rokem +9

    Dude this is outstanding. I've been watching F1 since 1993 and often find content creators' lack of historical knowledge frustrating (its my problem as a racing history buff...NOT the content creators')
    However, you seem to have a similar love of accurate racing history and that's why this channel is AMAZING

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +3

      Thank you so much! Always glad to welcome someone on board with a similar passion for F1 history.

  • @djlim4612
    @djlim4612 Před rokem +2

    Great video. Always liked the color of the car and uniform of the final Prost team.

  • @BrokenBaculum
    @BrokenBaculum Před rokem

    Just wanted to join in with the praise, for both this video and the channel. I very much enjoy the long-form, documentary style of these videos, and your knowledge, research and delivery are really top notch. Keep up the great work, and from one F1 fan to another, best of luck!

  • @robfrith103
    @robfrith103 Před rokem +1

    Great video. I remember watching Prost GP back in the day and the promise they always showed before failure. One thing I will give them though, they were stunning looking cars in that all blue livery.

  • @nikkialo6030
    @nikkialo6030 Před rokem +2

    Would you be interested in making a mega Ferrari video where you breakdown every major Ferrari conflicts and political chaos from the history of the sport.
    From Lauda and Ferrari falling apart to Prost and Ferrari to Schumacher being forcebly replaced to Alonso and Ferrari to Arrivabene and Ferrari to Vettel and Ferrari to Binotto and Ferrari etc... It would be really fitting considering what's happening right now.

    • @christendombaffler
      @christendombaffler Před rokem +2

      The fact that you listed so many events yet still forgot Alboreto and Ferrari really says a lot about the team's ability to just never stop fucking up. It would make for a great video encompassing a multitude of eras, and considering the behind-the-scenes conflict between Vasseur and Vigna that's threatening to explode into an all-out Ferrari civil war, now would be a really good time to tackle this topic.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Ferrari would be a huge topic to tackle! It's a never ending drama over there - and I'm not sure I could compress 70 years of that into one video! But I can some interesting ideas out of certain eras and drivers for sure.

    • @nikkialo6030
      @nikkialo6030 Před rokem

      @@TheMobileChicane Yeah, one conflict is like a 1 hour video on its own. Ferrari is literally the Quagmire of internal politics and political instability after all.

  • @angus_bangus
    @angus_bangus Před rokem +3

    immaculate content

  • @mattes1887
    @mattes1887 Před rokem +3

    absolute in love with your content 👌🏻

  • @adrianperezfunes3502
    @adrianperezfunes3502 Před rokem +3

    great great job! I loved. I really knew little about what prost had done since at the time it was very difficult to obtain information. I hope you keep doing this good work. do lotus? the original .

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem

      Thank you! Lotus is on my long list of video ideas - especially since learning how Senna was one of the causes that began their spiral to falling off the grid.

  • @pingu3440
    @pingu3440 Před rokem +2

    Amazing documentary mate! Exactly what i was looking for! Thank you for sharing your passion, i think i have found my new favorite f1 channel!!! thank you!

  • @RemigijusChebronckis
    @RemigijusChebronckis Před 6 měsíci

    This channel is pure gold.

  • @CDG7755
    @CDG7755 Před rokem +2

    Another Mobile Chicane Banger

  • @Leahi84
    @Leahi84 Před rokem +4

    Wonderful video!! I learned a lot from this. Hope you get more attention!

  • @leojonkers3181
    @leojonkers3181 Před rokem +3

    In 1990 I understood the move from Senna.He was on pole and had to start on a place where they no drive, so no grip. there was a disscusion before the race where Senna want a better place for a pole. So I understood his move in the first corner, no matter how unfair it seemed. By the way, unfair behaviour was really difficult normal in those days. Schumacher for example and it goes on and on. But I liked Prost, he was a super driver, 4 times worldchampion with all his problems. He was great!
    Where are we going with F1, races in Arabia, America and not in France? Crazy, there is a France team even! Look out F1, was my favorite sport, but they run backwards. I am Dutch and offcourse a big fan of Max. Max, as a relatively young man, is so intelligent, he doesn't want a ridiculous amount of races for example. Lewis had a hugely impressive critique of Saudi last year. No woman is allowed to study there and we race in countries like that. Ridiculous. Money kills F1. Great vlog, Thank you!

  • @andyyoung6574
    @andyyoung6574 Před 24 dny

    Brilliant video. So interesting. I enjoy F1 history, you have a talent, thanks for sharing. You’ve a superb commentary voice.

  • @patrickcrean7813
    @patrickcrean7813 Před rokem +3

    This is excellent well done. You are the CZcams version of bring back v10s.

  • @leonharddokalik-wetzstein8294

    I'm so glad I found this Video! I'm requesting a ProstGP video for years from the Bring Back V10s Podcast, and they really always just scrape the surface. Now I don't need to listen to them anymore ;) checked your other vids as well and loved them all. Please keep creating! I'd be interested in a Minardi and Arrows Video as well, but no pressure 😄

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem

      Thanks so much! Both could be really interesting ideas - especially Arrows, since they hold the record for most starts without a win.

  • @Duval-In-The-Wall
    @Duval-In-The-Wall Před 8 měsíci +2

    It’s incredible just how much of a failure Peugeot were

    • @zanemarte9877
      @zanemarte9877 Před 7 měsíci

      Peugeot was so bad in reliability it's not funny. I don't blame Peugeot for leaving F1 because they wanted to stop anyway as Prost said himself in his Beyond The Grid podcast from 2018.

  • @TheTrooper115
    @TheTrooper115 Před rokem +3

    What a fantastic channel to stumble across, finally, something of substance!

  • @PompeyGamesRoom
    @PompeyGamesRoom Před rokem

    This was amazing bud, really enjoyed and have subscribed 🙂

  • @fl0fi
    @fl0fi Před rokem +1

    Phenomenal channel, thanks for putting in so much effort into the videos

  • @Evarakeus
    @Evarakeus Před rokem

    This content is absolutely wonderful, seems very much like the F1-focused equivalent to what nascarmanhistory and Brock Beard do for NASCAR and IndyCar. This is really good stuff!

  • @1002l
    @1002l Před 9 měsíci

    I really don't remember Prost being mentioned anywhere near as contenders in their time, but i only really remember their last couple of years. Great vid

  • @JoshuaC923
    @JoshuaC923 Před rokem +1

    Great info, on point humour, what a joy to watch! 😂😂 keep up the great work!

  • @axzhor
    @axzhor Před rokem +2

    Amazing video. The voice over level is a bit low, so made it a bit hard to hear, hope you can fix it for future videos.

  • @SnowLeopard71
    @SnowLeopard71 Před rokem +1

    Great video! I was surprised that there was no mention at all of Jackie Stewart and his team along with the others (McLaren, Brabham, etc)

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Who knows, perhaps "The Saga of Stewart Grand Prix" might hit your subscriptions one day 😉

    • @SnowLeopard71
      @SnowLeopard71 Před rokem

      @@TheMobileChicane Looking forward to it -- it should quite the contrast to the Prost story!

  • @johnbacon4997
    @johnbacon4997 Před rokem +2

    Loving the channel dude! Now that we're back in season would you ever want to do any current F1 events?

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      It's something I've debated for a while. If there's a demand from my audience to hear my thoughts on current events I'd love to share them, but I feel like if I'm throwing out yet another race review series into the world, it should be something different and unique. What that would be - I'm not sure yet!

  • @denniszeller2115
    @denniszeller2115 Před rokem +3

    Just discovered you mate, great stuff! Abo done!

  • @Apocraphtica
    @Apocraphtica Před rokem +4

    Love your detail nish vids. Cheers!

  • @baddrivingsouthwales4789

    Whilst I agree with your conclusions, you seem to overlook some things about the loss of sponsors - for example, the main reason for the loss of Galloises sponsorship was that they were a tobacco company and tobacco sponsorship had become outlawed; the loss of Total sponsorship was due to the loss of Peugeot engines - French engine manufacturers seem to have longterm partnerships/associations with French oil companies; Elf is usually seen on Renault powered vehicles; whilst Total tends to be associated with Peugeot/Citroën. The Total deal was contingent on Peugeot power. There are likely simple explanations for some other sponsors too, all of which give slightly different context.

  • @rodrigoBlessedBrazil
    @rodrigoBlessedBrazil Před rokem

    AMAZING😉 show man! Topclass!

  • @piotrnierobis7438
    @piotrnierobis7438 Před rokem +3

    Well Done Simon

  • @Masca79
    @Masca79 Před rokem +1

    Best documentary on Earth about Prost Grand Prix.

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Very kind, thank you!

    • @Masca79
      @Masca79 Před rokem +1

      @@TheMobileChicane You deserve 100 times te subscribers you got. Your work is so competent and passionate!

  • @maxmustermann6612
    @maxmustermann6612 Před rokem +2

    Fantastic video!

  • @RobbertsTravelGuides
    @RobbertsTravelGuides Před 3 měsíci

    This is so relaxing to listen too and live yourself into

  • @wibblewobble85
    @wibblewobble85 Před rokem +2

    Really enjoyed this thankyou :)

  • @Ketis1985
    @Ketis1985 Před 10 měsíci +1

    AP02, AP03 and AP04 were beatiful cars, too bad that Prost never had any luck as a team boss.

    • @zanemarte9877
      @zanemarte9877 Před 7 měsíci

      Never*

    • @Ketis1985
      @Ketis1985 Před 7 měsíci

      @@zanemarte9877 yeah. Damn typos!

    • @zanemarte9877
      @zanemarte9877 Před 7 měsíci

      AP-01 as well. The Prost's were s***boxes on the inside, but on the outside the cars looked magnificent. I have the 1998 and 2000 diecast models of the cars. I just love the dark midnight blue paint job with Sony PlayStation logo on the car.

  • @ClassicFormulaOne1
    @ClassicFormulaOne1 Před rokem +4

    Thanks nice video! In about a week I will post a review video about the Ligier JS37 from 1992 :)

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem +1

      Good luck! Since recording this video I've found that supposedly Prost was 2 seconds a lap faster than Boutsen at his private test. Maybe the JS37 could've been further up with Alain behind the wheel!

  • @FrittenFriseurLPs
    @FrittenFriseurLPs Před 5 měsíci

    That was a very well made interesting videos. I like to see more of that!

  • @crystalracing4794
    @crystalracing4794 Před rokem +2

    Nice. The beginning of the end of the semi-independent teams (no more French govt from Chirac 1997 onwards began to pinch them)

  • @mrkipling2201
    @mrkipling2201 Před 5 měsíci

    Hometown Bridge and a ball of wool!! That's so Jean Alesi!! 😂😂

  • @AdzSONLINE
    @AdzSONLINE Před rokem +1

    Are you aware that whenever you talk about Collard you show a picture of Trulli?
    Was so confused because I recognise Trulli’s lid from karting pictures 😂

  • @KellieLeigh48
    @KellieLeigh48 Před rokem +2

    Glad it's finally here

  • @ivaneurope
    @ivaneurope Před rokem +2

    Perhaps maybe, just maybe Prost is a difficult person to work with/for. There's no dispute that he's one of the best drivers behind the wheel, but even as a driver he left every team he's driven for on bad terms. His first stint with McLaren ended on sour note with Prost saying that he will "never drive for them" (which was a lie). His stint with Renault ended on bad terms after conflict with the team's boss Gerrard Larrousse (rumour has it that Prost alegedly had an affair with Larrousse's wife). His second outing with McLaren ended badly after Prost called out the team (Ron Dennis in particular) and Honda for perceived preferential treatment towards Senna. The stint with Ferrari we all know how it ended - Prost tells that the car handles like a truck (not drives like a truck as many think) which is the "ultimate sin" in Maranello and Prost got fired for his troubles. And if his interview in the Senna documentary is anything to go by - his time at Williams also didn't end well. And as a team owner/manager he didn't get along with sponsors and suppliers as mentioned in this video - there were rumours Gauloises and Renault wanted to come on board when the team was on the verge of a buyout, but under the condition that Prost was not going to be involved with the day-to-day operations. And I think his most recent role as consultant/ambassador to Renault/Alpine also didn't end well

    • @TheMobileChicane
      @TheMobileChicane  Před rokem

      Some great points! You do get the sense he was quite a prickly individual - but you do need to develop that attitude for success in F1, as a driver at least.

  • @Mark-gy9xx
    @Mark-gy9xx Před rokem +1

    Excellent, high quality video. 👏

  • @townicus5908
    @townicus5908 Před rokem +1

    Top quality video as always 👍

  • @eudealex2192
    @eudealex2192 Před rokem +1

    Love your Video’s m8 ❤

  • @jameslove1363
    @jameslove1363 Před rokem +1

    enjoy the video thanks for posting it. Cheers Jim

  • @user_unknown1488
    @user_unknown1488 Před rokem +1

    anyone using the 'sticky the stick insect' metaphor deserves a sub!