Editing Alain Prost (section)

===Williams (1993)===
Prost spent the [[1992 Formula One World Championship|1992 season]] on sabbatical.<ref name=":2" /> Ligier offered him a seat, and he eventually performed pre-season testing for the team in early 1992, but Ferrari paid him a significant amount of money to take the year off.<ref name="8w">{{cite web |last1=Diepraam |first1=Mattijs |last2=Nyberg |first2=Rainer |date=May 2001 |title=Subtlety redefined |url=http://8w.forix.com/prost.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015073811/http://8w.forix.com/prost.html |archive-date=15 October 2012 |access-date=18 October 2012 |publisher=8w.forix}}</ref> During this season, [[Nigel Mansell]] put up record numbers in the Williams-[[Renault F1|Renault]] and won the title with five races remaining. The McLaren-Honda combination was waning: due to [[Japanese asset price bubble|economic difficulties in Japan]], Honda was not in position to outspend Renault on engine development. Honda opted to leave Formula One at season's end rather than carry on with a second-tier product.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-16 |title=Honda's Bittersweet F1 Legacy |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g02026/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=nippon.com |language=en}}</ref> With no meaningful competition, a Williams driver was expected to cruise to the title again in 1993.

Prost quickly recognized the potential of the Williams car and began negotiating with [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] for a 1993 ride no later than the second race of the 1992 season.<ref name=":242">{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Adam |date=2014-07-07 |title=The Domination Game: How Mansell and Williams made 1992 their own |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-2002/30/the-domination-game/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=Motor Sport Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref> He ultimately signed a two-year contract for 1993 and 1994.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 December 2012 |title=The History of Williams - 1993 |url=https://www.williamsdb.com/the-history-of-williams/the-history-of-williams-1993/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216163106/https://www.williamsdb.com/the-history-of-williams/the-history-of-williams-1993/ |archive-date=16 December 2019 |access-date=16 December 2019 |website=The Williams Database}}</ref> Prost had expected to race alongside Mansell, but Mansell's contract negotiations fell through over financial terms.<ref name=":242" /> As insurance, Prost had negotiated a clause in his contract which prevented Senna from joining the team.{{sfn|Ménard|Vassal|2003|p=138}} Although Senna furiously accused Prost of cowardice,{{sfn|Ménard|Vassal|2003|p=138}} there was nothing he could do about it.{{multiple image
| total_width       = 400
| image1            = Prost at 1993 British Grand Prix crop.jpg
| alt1              = Photograph of an F1 car being driven perpendicular to camera
| image2            = Alain Prost during the race in Adelaide on 7 November 1993.jpg
| alt2              = Blue Formula One car turning slightly.
| footer            = Prost driving his 1993 Williams-Renault FW15C at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]] (left) and [[Adelaide Street Circuit|Adelaide]] (right)
}}
Prost won his fourth and final title in 1993. That year, Williams-Renault fielded another dominant car and handily defended the Constructors' Championship, finishing with twice as many points as second-placed McLaren. Prost led the way, winning seven of the first ten races and taking pole in thirteen out of sixteen races. Although he was regularly challenged on track by teammate Hill and rival Senna, he finished 26 points ahead of the second-placed Senna and clinched the title in [[1993 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal]] with two races to go. At season's end, the British government awarded Prost an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] for his performances; he had won all four of his titles with British teams.<ref name=":12">{{cite news |date=11 December 1994 |title=Briefly |url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A296056825/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201123443/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA296056825&v=2.1&it=r&sid=GPS&asid=5b88d3e4 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |access-date=17 April 2019 |work=[[The Age|Sunday Age]] |page=4 |via=Infotrac Newsstand}}</ref>

Shortly before securing the title, Prost announced he would retire at the end of the season.<ref name="la">{{Cite web |last=Glick |first=Shav |date=1993-09-25 |title=Prost, 38, Announces Retirement |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-25-sp-38901-story.html |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> At the time, he stated that under the terms of his Williams contract, while he could block Senna from joining Williams in 1993, he could not do so for 1994.{{sfn|Ménard|Vassal|2003|p=138}} However, in an interview for [[Asif Kapadia]]'s 2010 documentary ''[[Senna (film)|Senna]]'', Prost revealed that the Senna clause did in fact extend to 1994, but Renault (Williams' engine supplier) pressured Frank Williams to ask Prost to waive the clause. As a compromise, the 38-year-old Prost agreed to retire after the 1993 season, provided that Williams paid him his agreed-upon salary for the 1994 season.<ref name=":22">[[Senna (film)|''Senna'' (film)]] (extended edition), at 1:47-1:50.</ref> This cleared the way for Senna to join Williams in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1993-10-11 |title=Senna signs with Williams |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/10/11/Senna-signs-with-Williams/9005750312000/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref>

Prost finished on the podium in his final race ([[1993 Australian Grand Prix|Adelaide]] 1993). Following the race, Senna embraced him, which Prost found surprising, as Senna had declined a handshake at the previous race.<ref name=":5" /> McLaren tempted Prost to unretire by offering him Senna's old seat for the 1994 season, but while Senna encouraged Prost to take the offer,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodhouse |first=Jamie |date=2021-12-24 |title=Ayrton Senna called Alain Prost 'begging' him to stay in F1 in 1994 |url=https://www.planetf1.com/news/ayrton-senna-begged-alain-prost-return |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=PlanetF1 |language=en}}</ref> Prost was unimpressed by a test-drive of the 1994 car and retired for good.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2018-09-30 |title=Martin Brundle at McLaren in 1994 |url=https://www.unracedf1.com/martin-brundle-at-mclaren-in-1994/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=UnracedF1.com |language=}}</ref>