Spring 1975, somewhere on a driving school circuit near Magny-Cours. A 20-year-old man has just arrived 15 minutes late at the wheel of a crappy Renault 16, visibly upset after getting a flat tire without a spare tire. The other candidates are teasing gently - "So, the little guy from Saint-Chamond, are we having mechanical problems?" But in reality, this delay was perfectly calculated . While everyone else was treating him like an amateur, he was quietly observing which car was setting the best times. He headed for car number 4, the red one. Result? He finished first in his class.

This young man is Alain Prost . And this ability to always think three steps ahead, to prioritize intelligence over blind risk-taking, well, it will define his entire career. But what is less well known is that it will also define his personal car choices . Because when you are nicknamed "the Professor" on the circuit, you don't buy just any car.

{slides}

So I've always been fascinated by this contrast. On one hand, you have a guy who drives F1 cars at 300 km/h , on the other, someone who rides a scooter around Geneva and only owns a Renault and an old Mustang. How can a four-time world champion, with a fortune estimated at between 100 and 185 million euros, have such... normal tastes?

Today, I'm telling you the story of a man whose philosophy of measurement and calculation influenced his Formula 1 victories as much as his everyday automotive choices. A story that takes us from Saint-Chamond to Geneva, via a few burned-out cars and a Ferrari F40 he never wanted to drive.

The Professor's Roots

To understand Alain Prost and his cars, you first have to understand where he comes from. Lorette, near Saint-Chamond in the Loire, 1955. His father André makes furniture, his mother Marie-Rose is of Armenian origin. Nothing flamboyant, a family of artisans with simple values. The family home on rue Dugas-Montbel houses the furniture workshop on the ground floor - we live above the work, in other words .

And then there's Daniel, his older brother. Daniel, who will change everything in Alain's life. Passionate about motorsport but suffering from a brain tumor, he transmits the virus to his little brother. It was he who took Alain to discover karting in Antibes in 1970 , when the boy was only 14 years old. Daniel will always be there to encourage Alain, until his tragic death in September 1986, at a time when his brother was already reaching the top.

You see, when you grow up in a family like that, you learn the value of things . You don't waste, you think before you buy, you prioritize the useful over the spectacular. That's the first key to understanding why Prost was never a supercar collector.

The school of intelligence rather than strength

Very quickly, the young Alain stood out for his approach. Where other drivers charged headlong, he observed, analyzed, and calculated . That famous Winfield School final was a perfect illustration of his mentality. Arriving late with a rotten R16, but actually using that time to study the competition and choose the best car - that's pure Prost .

And this intelligence isn't limited to driving. From the very beginning of his Formula 1 career, Prost developed an economical approach to racing. Why wear out your tires and your engine when you can win by being smarter? Why take reckless risks when you can calculate the right moment to attack?

He deservedly earned the nickname "Professor." Jackie Stewart himself, his role model, declared in 1987: "I'm glad Alain is taking my record; he deserves it. He is without a doubt the best driver of his generation."

Alain Prost's cars: a lesson in humility

Okay, now that we've set the scene, let's talk about his cars. Because frankly, this is where it gets juicy . What do you expect from a four-time world champion? A garage full of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches? Well, think again.

Alain Prost is the guy who drives a Renault in Geneva and gets around on a scooter to avoid traffic. Seriously. The guy who won 51 Grands Prix, who holds records that have stood for years, and who prefers his scooter to a Bugatti.

But wait, I have a tasty anecdote for you . One day, Prost stopped at a gas station to fill up. The attendant looked at him and said: "You were right, Mr. Arnoux, that Prost is a real little shit!" The poor guy had mistaken him for René Arnoux . Can you imagine the situation? The four-time world champion being insulted by a gas station attendant who didn't even recognize him!

Obviously, we're living in the 90s, the champion image is mostly conveyed through TV and victories in the boot, I talk about luxury cars all the time. Besides, I've noticed that many of my customers on bernardminiatures.fr are also passionate about this era. The 90s were the golden age of racing cars, but also of iconic road models.

At my place, you'll find over 1,500 miniatures, mostly in 1/43 scale, that tell this story. Renaults from the Prost years, of course, but also the entire range of cars that marked this decade. Okay, I'll warn you, I'm not a big site, so I often only have one or two pieces of each model. But that's also what makes it so charming - each miniature has its own story.

Shipping is free for orders over €75 in France, and I make sure to wrap everything well with bubble wrap because these little cars break easily. Go take a look at bernardminiatures.fr if you're interested - and you'll see, I even have a few models from the Prost era that are definitely worth a look.

Now, let's get back to the point. This simplicity of Prost hides something deeper . A true philosophy of life, forged by sometimes dramatic events.

Forced exile and its consequences

1983 was the year that would change everything in Alain Prost's personal life. After his dramatic break with Renault , where he openly criticized the reliability of French engines, the whole of France fell on him. The media, the fans, and even... the workers at the Renault factory.

And then things went completely off the rails. Disgruntled employees showed up at his house in Saint-Chamond and set fire to two of his cars . Not one, not three - two cars that went up in smoke, right in front of his house. He even received threatening phone calls. In total, three of his cars ended up burned to the ground.

Can you imagine the trauma? You win races for France, and French people burn your cars because you criticize a faulty engine . Prost has no choice: he packs up his entire family and heads to Sainte-Croix, Switzerland. An exile that continues to this day.

And maybe that's where it all comes together. When you've seen your cars go up in smoke because of jealousy and human stupidity, you put the importance of equipment into perspective . You understand that the most important thing isn't having the most beautiful car, but being safe with your family.

The Ferrari F40 he never drove

Well, there's one exception to this list of modest cars. In 1990, when Prost signed with Ferrari, the Scuderia gave him an F40 . You know, the F40 isn't just anything - it's the last Ferrari personally approved by Enzo Ferrari before his death. A 478-horsepower missile, 0 to 100 in 4.1 seconds, 324 km/h top speed.

The dream of every lover of fine mechanics, in other words . Except that Prost... well, Prost doesn't care. He takes the keys politely, thank you very much, very kind, and sells it almost immediately without even driving it.

Wait, do you realize what just happened? The guy refuses to drive an F40 offered by Ferrari ! If someone offered me an F40, I think I'd sleep with it in the garage. But Prost, no. For him, an F40 is just a bulky and dangerous object on the open road.

And he may be right, mind you. In his Professor's logic, what's the point of having a 324 km/h car when you're driving on roads with a speed limit of 80? You might as well have a good, reliable Renault that gets the job done without being noticed.

The influence of his mentor Niki Lauda

Prost also learned this pragmatic approach from his teammate and mentor at McLaren: Niki Lauda . The Austrian, who survived the terrible accident at the Nürburgring in 1976, had developed a very technical and detached vision of the automobile.

For Lauda, a car was simply a tool. It didn't have to be beautiful or impressive, it just had to be efficient . This philosophy had a profound impact on Prost, who often talks about how Lauda taught him to separate emotion from performance.

On the track, you drive with your guts and your head. On the road, you drive with your mind . This is perhaps the greatest lesson Prost learned from his time at McLaren.

The Professor's Unexpected Friendships

But hey, Prost isn't just a cold calculator. He also has his passions and his friendships, sometimes surprising ones . Take, for example, his friendship with Alain Delon. Yes, the legendary actor and big Ferrari enthusiast.

Delon was a regular in the paddocks in the 1980s and 1990s, especially during the epic duels between Prost and Senna. Two men who seemed like complete opposites : on one side, the flamboyant actor who loved fine Italian machinery, on the other, the discreet driver who preferred his Renault. And yet, a true friendship was formed.

Perhaps Delon admired this simplicity in Prost? In a world of glitz and excess, Alain remained authentic . He had no need to flaunt his wealth or play the star. His legitimacy came from his 51 victories, not his garage.

The lesson from his grandmother Lucie

Moreover, Prost also inherited this simplicity from his grandmother Lucie . A woman who was omnipresent in his life and who passed on to him the values of modesty and hard work. When Prost is asked who the people who have influenced him the most are, he always cites his grandmother first.

Lucie was the embodiment of common sense . No need for glitz, no need for show, just integrity and honesty. Values that perfectly match the image we have of Prost: a discreet, efficient champion who doesn't seek the spotlight.

And then there's his mother, Marie-Rose, a woman with a constant joy for life despite the challenges. Even when her son's cars are set on fire, she keeps smiling and encourages him to keep going . That, too, builds character.

The lifestyle of a discreet champion

Today, Alain Prost is 69 years old and still lives in Switzerland. With a fortune estimated at between 100 and 185 million euros, he could afford anything . A collection of supercars, a yacht, a private jet—the complete package for a bored billionaire.

But no. The Professor still drives a Renault and gets around Geneva on a scooter . He's kept his old Mustang, probably more out of nostalgia than passion. But overall, his automotive choices still reflect the same philosophy: efficiency trumps ostentation.

I sometimes wonder what young drivers today would think if they saw that . Those who collect Lamborghinis and McLarens, who make Instagram stories in their garages... Do they understand that true luxury, for a champion like Prost, is perhaps precisely not needing to prove anything?

The Professor's Legacy

Because in the end, that's perhaps the greatest lesson from Alain Prost . In a sport where ego and money often take over, he always knew how to keep his feet on the ground. His 51 victories, his four world titles, his records that stood for decades - all of this never got him off the ground.

When Jackie Stewart says that Prost deserves to beat his record, it's not insignificant . Stewart was already the embodiment of class in the 70s. Seeing the baton passed to someone who shared the same values must have reassured him about the evolution of the sport.

And then there's this image, which I often think about. Prost on a scooter in the streets of Geneva, helmet on his head, anonymous among the other users . No one recognizes him, no one asks him for an autograph. He's just a normal guy going shopping.

It's beautiful, isn't it? In a world obsessed with image and recognition, having the freedom to remain invisible. Perhaps that's Alain Prost's true luxury: being able to live his life peacefully, without needing to play a role.

Conclusion: More than a champion, a philosophy

So, the story of Alain Prost and his cars is much more than the story of a champion and his cars . It is the story of a man who knew how to keep his values despite the glory, who preferred authenticity to glitter, simplicity to ostentation.

From that rotten Renault 16 with which he arrived late to his Winfield final, to his current Renault that he drives in Geneva, there is a perfect consistency . Prost never sought to impress with his automotive choices. He simply sought efficiency.

That Ferrari F40 he sold without driving it sums it all up. Having the wisdom to refuse what doesn't suit you, even when it's free and prestigious . That's Professor level.

And when I look at my miniatures from that time, I tell myself that they all tell this story . That of a time when champions could still be normal, when performance was not necessarily synonymous with excess.

Alain Prost, four-time world champion driving a Renault . Only he could pull off something like this. And maybe that's why we call him the Professor: because he's still giving us lessons, even 30 years after his retirement.