Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost had one of the most enduring rivalries in the history of Formula 1. The rivalry began in their white and black McLaren in 1988 and 1989 when the pair were teammates and continued when the latter moved to Ferrari in 1990.

Stefan Johansson, a former F1 driver, drove both for McLaren and Ferrari during the same era. He was Alain Prost‘s teammate in till 1987 till Ayrton Senna came in and replaced the Swede.

In a recent interview, Johansson claimed, that even though they were fierce rivals, the Brazilian learned things from Prost during those two years.

“I am therefore convinced that even Ayrton Senna once learned things from Alain. Prost was simply very rational. Ayrton himself was much more emotional and wanted to beat Prost as quickly as possible.

“That made him loved by the fans, but I think Prost’s approach is better if you want to win a lot of titles. Prost worked in a much more structured way,” he said.

ALSO READ – Do F1 Cars have a Clutch?

The influence of Alain Prost on Stefan Johansson

Stefan Johansson was Alain Prost’s teammate at McLaren for a year in 1987. However, a winless season had him replaced by Ayrton Senna at the end of the year. Nevertheless, the Swede explained that he learned a lot from his limited time with Prost at McLaren.

“There at McLaren, after two years at Ferrari, a whole new world opened up for me and that came thanks to Prost. arranges everything in detail. He prepares everything very well,” he said.

Senna and Prost built their rivalry in McLaren for a couple of years. It then continued for another three years as the latter took up the Maranello outfit. During the two years at McLaren, they both won a championship each.

During the McLaren-Ferrari rivalry, Senna claimed two more championships while Prost could conjure up only one in the 1993 season. The rivalry between the two was fierce, with a few confrontations as well.

The rivalry marked one of the best eras of Formula 1 racing. Those exciting battles are one reason we watched and got hooked to Formula 1. Which is the best F1 rivalry according to you?