Greatest Rivals - Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna

 Welcome to Greatest Rivals!

Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers. 

In order to determine a winner, each rivalry will be split into 2 categories: Statistical dominance and individual or team success. In case of a draw, the winner will then be elected from personal opinion. 

Wednesday 27th January - Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna 

In terms of world sporting rivalries, few will ever touch the globalising excitement that Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna captured at each and every race weekend. As competitors, their styles of driving could not have been more opposing, with each showcasing a unique genius that propelled them to be some of the greatest racing drivers the world has ever seen. Otherwise known as "The Professor", Alain Prost would do whatever he needed to do from a tactical standpoint to come out ahead on points, even if it meant settling for a lower position. On the other hand, Ayrton Senna was a weekly exhibition of pure Brazillian driving talent and would pour his heart and soul into winning each and every race. It truly was a tactical vs technical dog fight and was the ultimate standard for Formula One racers. But, who was better? 

Statistical dominance is where "The Professor" shines as apart from his driving ability, living in the numbers was how Prost won his 4 Drivers World Championships. Over the course of a 13-year career, Prost competed in 202 races starting at the 1980 Argentine Grand Prix and finishing at the Australian Grand Prix in 1993. Of these races, he won an astonishing 51 races, 10 more than his Brazillian rival, giving him a career win percentage of 25.2%. Due to his less aggressive driving style, Prost was also able to complete 10,540 laps throughout his career, with only 66 race retirements and 106 podium finishes. Comparatively, Senna competed in 162 races over a 10 year Formula One career, starting at the 1984 Brazillian Grand Prix and racing until his tragic death at the 1994 San Marino Grandprix. In this time, Senna won 3 World Championships, 41 races and achieved 80 podiums whilst completing 8,236 laps. However, although his combative driving style would often win him a lot of races, it would also be his undoing as Senna retired from over 40% of his races and ended entire race weekends with little reward. So, despite the fact that Senna may be the more technically gifted of the two drivers, the numbers do shine upon Alain Prost and his calculated approach to Formula One. 

Statistical Dominance: Alain Prost 

The Prost vs Senna rivalry is one that is quite unique as, over the course of 2 seasons (1988 & 1989), these two F1 legends were team-mates, which produced one of the most equal and level playing fields that any sport can produce. Throughout their turbulent time with McLaren, both Senna and Prost showcased why they were leaps and bounds ahead of any other drivers in the field and won 25 out of the 32 races across two F1 seasons. However, to Prost's dismay, what this level playing field did reveal is how truly talented Ayrton Senna was behind the wheel of an automotive monster. Senna edged out 14 victories and 26 pole positions against Prost and won his first Driver's World Championship in 1988. 

And whilst we're on the subject of qualifying, I want to make one very clear statement: Ayrton Senna will go down in history as the greatest qualifying driver in Formula One. Of his 162 race starts, Senna won 65 pole positions and 87 front-row starts, a record only just surpassed by Lewis Hamilton. To keep this in context, that means that if you went to see any F1 race from 1984-1994, Aryton Senna would be on the front row of the grid 53.2% of the time. That's more likely than Stephen Curry making a single NBA 3-pointer (43%) or Thomas Muller to score a World Cup penalty (50%)! 

Yes, I admit, Prost may have more World titles and more race wins, but over the 10 years that this infamous rivalry raged on, Senna was the more successful driver both on and off the race track. Not only was Ayrton one of the greatest competitors on race weekend, but was also the hero of Brazil and started the Ayrton Senna Institute, helping young children with education and pointing them in the direction of a better life. 

Individual Success: Ayrton Senna   

There is no question, I am a Senna fan. His combination of ultimate technical ability, Brazilian flair and pursuit of perfection is intoxicating and is something no other driver has been able to replicate. He possessed the ability to make a 1000hp monster dance, from the streets of Monaco to the mountains of Japan, all without a driver aid in sight. In my opinion, he is the pinnacle of driver perfection and is the bar that all further driver ability has been measured against. 

Overall Winner: Ayrton Senna - The Ultimate Driver's Driver