ALAIN PROST: "DURING THE FINAL, I DID IT MY WAY..."

The four-time world champion Alain Prost holds a special affection for Winfield Racing School, not only because it gave him the opportunity to start his racing career. Let’s look back at a few months that forever marked the life of the French motorsport icon.

After taking the title at the French Karting Championship in 1974, Alain Prost was awarded a scholarship by the French Karting Federation, then called GNK (Groupement National du Karting). Free to choose which racing school to attend, he opted for Winfield. Although Magny-Cours was closer to Lorette, his birthplace near Saint-Chamond, he chose the Paul Ricard site. “There was a better chance of good weather in the Var, and thus the final I might participate in, would be less unpredictable,” he recalls. “The school’s image was very strong and represented a mandatory step for me: all high-level French drivers had gone through it, and it was the only way for me to race.”

Uncertain of what to expect upon entering the school, he was immediately captivated. “I remember my first laps in a single-seater,” he explains, his eyes still sparkling. “Even though I came from karting, the air, the noise, the wheels, it was something else. It was really impressive. The school itself was also a place where we all learned something; it wasn’t just about putting someone in a single-seater. The coaches Simon De Lautour and Antoine Raffaëlli were very attentive. They could immediately tell the student’s character and philosophy by their behavior. Despite my karting success, I was quite humble. Learning and listening to these experienced people were crucial for me.”

Over the course of the training sessions, a bond formed with Antoine Raffaëlli, who quickly realized that Prost had something special. “I had a unique way of braking and entering corners that came from karting but also something personal that needed to be theorized,” recalls Prost.

Alain Prost during the Pilote Elf-Winfield prize ceremony (1975)

“Under all aspects, he was extraordinary,” Antoine Raffaëlli remembers precisely. “He did incredible things. When I criticized him for not following our recommendations, he argued back. We had disagreements all year because he didn’t agree. I was troubled because what he said was true. But the stopwatch never lies. With Simon, we divided the track; he watched one part, and I the other. So, Prost drove differently in front of me than in front of Simon, who didn’t argue.”

The future four-time world champion found himself behind the wheel of a Renault Estafette to perfect his gear shifting under the scrutinizing eyes of Raffaëlli and De Lautour. “It’s not that I didn’t know how to do heel-and-toe and downshift,” Prost jokes today, “but I saved time by going from 5th to 3rd without going through 4th. Because sometimes I made the gearbox crunch a bit, they put me in the Estafette to show me how to double declutch. After that, I did what they said during the lessons, but in the final, I did it my way. I think they were never fooled…”

Prost meticulously prepared for the final, as Raffaëlli confirms. “For the semifinals, half of the students were scheduled for Saturday morning and the other half for Sunday morning. Beforehand, I had calibrated the cars to see which were the fastest. I had established a coefficient; the fastest was the #4 Red. If a student in the slower car approached the times of the one in the fastest car, we applied the coefficient. Prost was scheduled for Saturday at 8:00 AM. That day, nine out of ten students arrived. One was missing: Prost! He finally arrived 15 minutes late in a beaten-up R16. He was sorry; he had a flat tire and no spare in the old car. I told him he couldn’t drive and had to come-back Sunday. The next day, I had my eleven students.

The track and tires were cold, and I told Prost to start since he was late the day before. Alain said nothing and went straight to the #4 Red! I thought he was lucky. Later, he admitted that he had intentionally arrived late to watch his competitors and see which car was the fastest. Already, we could have called him the Professor. He was smart.”

Prost remembers the final, almost feeling the stress fifty years later. “Even though I knew I had the level to win, there was this pressure. Winning meant a career hope. Losing meant going back home. I remember Jeanette Chabaud from Elf’s press department interviewing me the day before and asking what I would do if I lost. I told her that wasn’t an option; I had to win.”

Alain Prost / Formula Renault Martini MK20 / Monza 1977

Today, nearly half a century later, Alain Prost hasn’t forgotten Winfield and deeply admires Mike and Richard Knight for what they established. “There were 250/300 candidates for five final seats and one winner. It was tough and strict, preparing you for the challenges of this profession and life in general. The teaching went beyond the track. Winfield taught driving and instilled values.” Values that remain in the brand’s DNA despite the sport’s evolution. “Fortunately, today’s Winfield School perpetuates these values, even though the context is very different,” concludes the four-time World Champion. “With a motivated and ambitious team, it has successfully navigated the challenges of the 21st century. Attempting to replicate the past without a powerful partner like Elf and considering the new challenges would have failed. Modern Winfield meets contemporary needs in a sport with skyrocketing costs and increasing complexity.”