‘It was perfect’ – Formula One great Alain Prost remembers his first car

Alain Prost is one of Formula One’s greatest racers.

Only two drivers in the history of the sport – German Michael Schumacher (7) and Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio (5) – have accumulated more world championship titles than the Frenchman’s four.

But before becoming a household name in the glamorous world of F1, Prost was driving an altogether more humble car.

“My first road car when I got a license was a Renault R4,” the 62-year-old former McLaren and Ferrari driver tells CNN.

“But that was not my car, it was my parents’ car that I used sometimes.

“The first car that I bought myself was an Opel Kadett – but a Kadett GT! You know, it was almost a rally car – yellow and black – and that was perfect.”

Despite being called ‘le professeur’ and famed for skillfully maneuvering turns at breakneck speeds, Prost recalls a time when his cornering wasn’t quite so good.

“I was 21,” he remembers with a grin. “That was the car I had been dreaming about – and that was the only car I crashed!

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“I slipped on the gravel going very slowly with a friend. I went down in a deep ditch. That was my first and only accident with a car.”

Watch the interview at the top of this page to find out more about Prost’s first car.