While Ayrton Senna was a master of driving in wet conditions, archrival Alain Prost detested racing in the rain.
Prost’s aversion to the rain dated back to the 1982 German Grand Prix. In a wet warm-up session at Hockenheim he was hit in the rear by countryman Didier Pironi, who didn’t see Prost’s Renault in the plums of spray. Pironi’s Ferrari was launched into the air and landing head first into the ground. Pironi suffered severe leg injuries that ended his Formula 1 career.
Prost saw the dangers of racing in the rain as unnecessary and he led the campaign to delay the start of the wet 1989 Adelaide Grand Prix. When the race went ahead, Prost acted on his pre-race threat and pulled into the pits to retire at the end of the first lap.
As Prost had warned the conditions led to a high number of accidents, including for Senna, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and more.
While Ayrton Senna was a master of driving in wet conditions, archrival Alain Prost detested racing in the rain.
Prost’s aversion to the rain dated back to the 1982 German Grand Prix. In a wet warm-up session at Hockenheim he was hit in the rear by countryman Didier Pironi, who didn’t see Prost’s Renault in the plums of spray. Pironi’s Ferrari was launched into the air and landing head first into the ground. Pironi suffered severe leg injuries that ended his Formula 1 career.
Prost saw the dangers of racing in the rain as unnecessary and he led the campaign to delay the start of the wet 1989 Adelaide Grand Prix. When the race went ahead, Prost acted on his pre-race threat and pulled into the pits to retire at the end of the first lap.
As Prost had warned the conditions led to a high number of accidents, including for Senna, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and more.
Watch Prost explain his boycott here:
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