Letters - A 50/50 Situation

A 50/50 Situation

Sir

Alain Prost after his latest encounter with Ayrton Senna at Suzuka states that losing the Championship does not bother him, and that Senna is a crazy driver with no respect for human life. May I suggest the reverse is true.

The Suzuka incident I see as a fifty-fifty situation. Prost expected Senna to brake (he obviously saw him); he didn’t. Senna expected Prost to move over. He did not.

Under the circumstances of the World Championship, and knowing Senna’s nature, the blame for Prost’s demise lies at his own door. After all did he not claim in the aftermath that the Ferrari was so superior that he would have won? Why then did he not back off and let through the inferior McLaren? Senna goes for the opening – Prost above all others knows that!

Prost the ‘Professor’ is portrayed as the nice man of Formula One. His outburst after the race can only be described as disgusting and stinking of sour grapes. Contrary to his press statement he really is hurting bad.

I leave it up to the individual as to whose fault Suzuka 1990 was, but the guilty party of Suzuka 1989 is more clear cut. Indisputable evidence shows Prost turning into the chicane too early in order to end Senna’s Championship hopes, never mind the unjust and summary execution of Ayrton afterwards. Sweet revenge as far as all dedicated Senna fans are concerned has been achieved. Finally, if Senna is arrogant then Prost is more so. His Suzuka 1990 comments (he kept quiet in 1989) contained nothing but arrogance and complete scorn for the man, judging by his comments of the past two seasons, he knows very little about and most probably understands even less. Not to mention his attacks on Nigel Mansell, claiming that he did all the Ferrari development while Mansell played golf. By the way where was Alain at the Goodyear tests at Silverstone and Estoril?

Alain Prost has cried wolf (or more appropriately Senna, McLaren, Ferrari, Mansell etc; the list is endless) once too often. This time there is no one to bail him out, dare I say not even FISA.

P.S. It is nice to finally have found an unbiased magazine as far as Ayrton Senna is concerned!

Oliver King
Nottingham, Notts.