Editing Alain Prost (section)

===McLaren (1984–1989)===
[[File:Anefo 933-1302 Huub Rothengatter, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda 29.10.1984 Prost crop.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Prost in 1984]]
====1984–1986====
Prost joined double world champion [[Niki Lauda]] at McLaren in {{f1|1984}}, driving the [[John Barnard]] designed [[McLaren MP4/2]] which used a 1.5 litre [[Techniques d'Avant Garde|TAG]]-[[Porsche in Formula One|Porsche]] [[V6 engine]]. He lost the world championship to Lauda in the [[1984 Portuguese Grand Prix|final race]] of the season in Portugal by half a point, despite winning seven races to Lauda's five,<ref name=":3" /> including winning in Portugal.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portuguese GP, 1984|url=https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr404.html|access-date=9 February 2021|website=www.grandprix.com|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414140959/https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr404.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The half point came from the {{F1GP|1984|Monaco}}, where Prost had been leading, albeit with [[Ayrton Senna]] ([[Toleman]]) and [[Stefan Bellof]] ([[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]) closing on him rapidly, when Clerk of the Course [[Jacky Ickx]] stopped the race at half distance due to heavy rain, which was controversial, for Ickx displayed the red flag without consulting the race officials. Under Formula One regulations, Prost received only half of the nine points normally awarded for a victory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prost wins under a cloud of controversy |url=http://www.gpracing.net192.com/races/reports/394.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061125182722/http://www.gpracing.net192.com/races/reports/394.cfm |archive-date=2006-11-25 |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=GPRacing.net}}</ref> Prost's seven wins in 1984 equalled the record set by [[Jim Clark]] in {{F1|1963}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Toynton|first=Dave|date=24 October 2020|title=Formula 1's Curious Statistical History In Portugal|url=https://worldinsport.com/formula-1s-history-in-portugal/|access-date=9 February 2021|language=en-GB|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125042230/https://worldinsport.com/formula-1s-history-in-portugal/|url-status=live}}</ref> Lauda's 0.5-point margin of victory is the closest title race in Formula One history.<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |last= |date=2015-08-15 |title=The Professor nearly an eight times F1 world champion |url=https://www.grandprix247.com/2015/08/15/the-professor-nearly-an-eight-times-f1-world-champion/ |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=GRANDPRIX247.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:ProstAlain McLarenMP4-2B 1985.jpg|thumb|Prost driving the McLaren MP4/2B at the [[1985 German Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:Cockpit of Alain Prosts F1 McLaren TAG-Porsche turbo, from his first Championship year (6283362892).jpg|thumb|Cockpit of Prost's F1 McLaren TAG-Porsche turbo, from his first Championship year]]
In {{f1|1985}} Prost became the first French Formula One [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Champion]]. He won five of the sixteen Grands Prix during the season. He had also won the [[1985 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]], but was disqualified after his car was found to be 2&nbsp;kg underweight in post-race [[scrutineer]]ing.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{cite web|title=1985 San Marino Grand Prix |url=http://www.gpracing.net192.com/races/reports/407.cfm |work=GPRacing.net192.com |access-date=7 October 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060722110141/http://www.gpracing.net192.com/races/reports/407.cfm |archive-date=22 July 2006 }}</ref> Prost finished 20 points ahead of his closest rival, [[Michele Alboreto]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=1985 F1 World Championship|magazine=Motor Sport Magazine|url=https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/championships/f1/1985-f1-world-championship|access-date=27 January 2021}}</ref> Prost's performance in 1985 earned him the [[Légion d'honneur]] distinction in France.<ref name="mcbride_nyt_p3" /><ref name=":9" /> At the end of the season, Lauda retired; he would later credit Prost with sending him into retirement, explaining that "I had this perfect car, and then this French pain-in-the-ass arrives and blows me away. If he hadn't turned up I'd have gone on for another few years."<ref name=":21">{{Cite web |date=2014-07-07 |title=Alain Prost: too good to be true? |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-2001/26/too-good-be-true/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Motor Sport Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Lauda was replaced at McLaren by {{f1|1982}} World Champion [[Keke Rosberg]] for {{f1|1986}}. Prost successfully defended his title, despite his car struggling against the [[Honda Racing F1|Honda]]-powered Williams cars driven by Nelson Piquet and [[Nigel Mansell]]. Until the latter stages of the final race of the 1986 season, the {{F1GP|1986|Australian}}, Prost appeared set to finish second in the Championship, behind Mansell. Prost had the same number of wins as Piquet, but he had four second places to Piquet's three, thus placing him second before the final race. While running third behind Piquet, and directly behind Prost on the road (3rd was all he needed to win the title), Mansell suffered a rear tyre failure at {{Convert|180|mph|km/h|0|abbr=on}} and crashed out. The [[Williams F1|Williams]] team then pitted Piquet to change tyres as a safety precaution, while Prost had already pitted earlier due to a puncture and did not need to change his tyres again. He then held the lead ahead of a charging Piquet to the chequered flag and the championship.<ref name=":3" /> Prost became the first driver to retain the title since [[Jack Brabham]] in 1960.<ref name="UPI1986">{{Cite news |date=1986-10-26 |title=Alain Prost, auto racing world champion, 1985 and 1986 |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/10/26/Alain-Prost-auto-racing-world-champion-1985-and-1986/8271530683200/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241128015646/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/10/26/Alain-Prost-auto-racing-world-champion-1985-and-1986/8271530683200/ |archive-date=2024-11-28 |access-date=2024-11-27 |work=[[United Press International]]}}</ref>

Another memorable race that year for Prost was at the {{F1GP|1986|San Marino}}. He was cruising to victory when his car began to run out of fuel three corners from the chequered flag. Frantically weaving the car back and forth to slosh the last drops of fuel into the pickup, he managed to keep it running just long enough to creep over the line and win the race.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Roebuck|first=Nigel|title=Grand Prix Gold: San Marino GP 1986 {{!}} F1 {{!}} Autosport Plus|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/feature/3776/grand-prix-gold-san-marino-gp-1986|access-date=9 February 2021|website=Autosport.com|date=17 August 2011|language=en|archive-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214132936/https://www.autosport.com/f1/feature/3776/grand-prix-gold-san-marino-gp-1986|url-status=live}}</ref> Prost commented after the race that when his car started running dry he immediately thought to himself ''"shit, I am going to lose this race again"'', referring to his 1985 disqualification at Imola.<ref name=":4" /> It happened again at the {{F1GP|1986|German}}: while running in fourth position, Prost's car ran out of fuel on the finishing straight of the last lap. Instead of retiring at a time in the season when points were critical, Prost got out of his car and tried to push it to the finish, to great applause from the crowd.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-27 |title=Prost runs out of fuel on final straight |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/onthisday/motorsport/story/2438.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528114500/http://en.espn.co.uk/onthisday/motorsport/story/2438.html |archive-date=2023-05-28 |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=ESPN UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> The finish line was too far, though, and he never reached it. He was eventually classified sixth in the race, as the seventh-placed car (the [[Brabham BT55|Brabham]]-BMW of [[Derek Warwick]]) was a lap behind.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grand Prix Results: German GP, 1986 |url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr430.html |publisher=GrandPrix.com |access-date=7 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109022342/http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr430.html |archive-date=9 November 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> Prost also finished sixth at the {{F1GP|1986|Belgian}}, where he collided with [[Gerhard Berger]] in the Benetton. As a result, the car's front suspension and engine mountings were bent, which badly affected its handling. It would behave one way in left hand corners and a completely different way in right hand corners. McLaren Technical Director [[John Barnard]] said afterwards that the car was "bent like a banana" upon the teams' post-race inspection of the car.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Keilloh|first=Graham|date=24 July 2011|title=In defence of Alain Prost|url=http://www.talkingaboutf1.com/2011/07/in-defence-of-alain-prost.html|access-date=10 February 2021|website=|archive-date=11 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211030202/http://www.talkingaboutf1.com/2011/07/in-defence-of-alain-prost.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====1987====
With [[Keke Rosberg|Rosberg]] retiring from Formula One at the end of 1986 season, [[Swedes|Swedish]] driver [[Stefan Johansson]] filled the McLaren seat alongside Prost for the {{F1|1987}} season. Even though McLaren had introduced the new [[Steve Nichols]] designed [[McLaren MP4/3|MP4/3]] after three seasons with the MP4/2 model (Barnard had departed for Ferrari), the TAG engines were not the force they had been previously, lagging behind in power and with unreliability previously unseen. He never gave up though and challenged [[Nelson Piquet|Piquet]] and [[Nigel Mansell|Mansell]] almost until the end, winning three races and breaking [[Jackie Stewart]]'s record for race victories by winning for the 28th time at the [[1987 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portuguese Grand Prix]]. "People might not believe me," said Stewart at the time. "But I'm glad to see Alain take my record. I am glad that he has done it because he's the one that deserves it. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the best race driver of his generation."<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=23 September 2017|title=McLaren Racing – Alain's record breaking year|url=https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/driver/alain-prost/alains-record-breaking-year-mp43-2119871/|access-date=13 February 2021|website=www.mclaren.com|language=en|archive-date=27 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227150006/https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/driver/alain-prost/alains-record-breaking-year-mp43-2119871/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Prost considers his win in the opening round in [[1987 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] as his best and most rewarding race ever. The Williams-Hondas had been dominant during qualifying, and Prost started fifth on the grid with a time three seconds slower than Mansell's pole time. Knowing he didn't have the qualifying speed, he instead worked on his race set-up, and with everyone else going for a high-downforce set-up, he went the other way. The set-up meant less tyre wear, thanks to slower speeds in the corners while going fast down the straights. With his car having less tyre wear than his rivals, Prost was able to get through the 61 laps of the abrasive [[Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet|Jacarepaguá Circuit]] with only two stops compared to the three or more by his rivals (Piquet pitted for tyres 3 times within the first 40 laps). Prost finished 40 seconds in front of Piquet, with Johansson a further 16 seconds back in third.

<blockquote>When you win a race like this the feeling is very, very good. There have been times when I have been flat-out to finish sixth, but you can't see that from the outside. In {{f1|1980}} I finished three or four times in seventh place. I pushed like mad, yet everyone was gathered around the winner and they were thinking that I was just trundling around. But that's motor racing. So in fact the only thing you can judge in this sport is the long term. You can judge a career or a season, but not one race.<ref>transcript of recording from [http://www.forix.com/8w/prost.html Forix.com, paragraphs 19 & 20] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104033847/http://www.forix.com/8w/prost.html |date=4 January 2007 }}.</ref></blockquote>

Prost finished the 1987 season in fourth place in the championship behind [[Nelson Piquet|Piquet]], [[Nigel Mansell|Mansell]] and [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] driver [[Ayrton Senna]]. Prost finished 30 points behind champion Nelson Piquet.<ref>{{cite news |title=Auto Racing Results;NEWLN:Portuguese Formula One Grand Prix At Estoril, Portugal, Sept.20 |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/09/20/Auto-Racing-ResultsNEWLNPortuguese-Formula-One-Grand-Prix-At-Estoril-Portugal-Sept20/9221559108800/ |work=United Press International |date=20 September 1987 |access-date=9 February 2021}}</ref> Other than his debut season in 1980 and {{f1|1991}}, it was the furthest away he would finish a season from the championship lead.<ref name=":2" />

Despite a slightly disappointing 1987 season, nevertheless by the end of that year Prost had the honour of notching up his 4th consecutive No.1 driver of the year by the editor of the ''[[Autocourse]]'' annual, matching Niki Lauda's run of No.1's from 1975 to 1978 in the same annual. Writing in 1987, the ''Autocourse'' editor mentioned that despite driving a down on power engine (compared to the Honda's) "Prost should have won at least 6 races in 1987 – but he won't moan about it. Despite being out of championship contention, 1987 was a memorable year for Prost. His win at Estoril was exceptional."<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Hamilton |editor-first=Maurice |date=1987 |title=Autocourse 1987–1988 |title-link=Autocourse |publisher=Hazleton Publishing Ltd |isbn=0-905138-47-3}}</ref> In 1985, the ''Autocourse'' editor wrote of Prost: "In the long run, Ayrton Senna may be the better driver, but in 1985 for speed and consistency Prost had no equal",<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Hamilton |editor-first=Maurice |date=1985 |title=Autocourse 1985–1986 |publisher=Hazleton Publishing Ltd |isbn=0-905138-38-4}}</ref> while in 1986, the ''Autocourse'' editor commented on Prost's season "Alain had an almost faultless year. 1986 was a year of Prost's outstanding all round ability."<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Hamilton |editor-first=Maurice |date=1986 |title=Autocourse 1986–1987 |publisher=Hazleton Publishing Ltd |isbn=0-905138-44-9}}</ref>

====1988====
[[File:Alain Prost 1988 Canada.jpg|thumb|right|Prost driving for McLaren at the [[1988 Canadian Grand Prix]]]]{{main|Prost–Senna rivalry}}
The [[1988 Formula One World Championship|1988 season]] proved to be a watershed moment for Formula One, as [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] ended its relationship with defending champion Williams and brought their [[Honda RA16 engine|all-conquering RA16 engines]] to Prost's McLaren.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web|last=Hamilton|first=Maurice|date=1 September 2017|title=30 years later: Honda's awkward Italian Grand Prix|url=https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/20530902/30-years-later-honda-awkward-italian-grand-prix|access-date=10 February 2021|website=ESPN.com|language=en|archive-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819103023/https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/20530902/30-years-later-honda-awkward-italian-grand-prix|url-status=live}}</ref> Going into 1988, it was understood that any team that wanted Honda engines would have to sign one of the two Brazilian drivers favored by Honda (which coveted the South American car market<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |date=2014-07-07 |title=Honda and Formula One |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1987/13/honda-and-formula-one/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Motor Sport Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>): three-time world champion [[Nelson Piquet]], or rising star [[Ayrton Senna]].<ref name=":202">{{Cite news |last=Spurgeon |first=Brad |date=2015-09-18 |title=A Driver's Greatness, in the Words of Others |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/sports/autoracing/a-drivers-greatness-in-the-words-of-others-alain-prost-singapore-grand-prix-formula-one.html |access-date=2024-09-30 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> When McLaren asked Prost for his opinion, Prost suggested Senna, citing his youth and talent. It was a decision he would come to regret.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Roebuck |first=Nigel |date=October 1998 |title=Ayrton Senna by Alain Prost |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1998/28/ayrton-senna-alain-prost |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112012555/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1998/28/ayrton-senna-alain-prost |archive-date=12 November 2020 |access-date=10 February 2021 |website=Motor Sport Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Upon signing Senna, McLaren announced that Prost and Senna would compete on equal terms.<ref name=":14" /> According to Dennis, "Alain was fine with the competition, but deeply suspicious."<ref name=":16">{{Cite web |title=Ron Dennis on Senna - Part one: the early years |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2014/4/Ron-Dennis-on-Senna---Part-one-the-early-years.html |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website |language=en}}</ref>

The McLaren-Honda partnership delivered Prost a legendarily fast car and two golden opportunities for a third Drivers' Championship, but it also kicked off one of Formula One's [[Prost–Senna rivalry|most famous rivalries]]. McLaren-Honda dominated the season, winning 15 out of 16 races – a record that stood until the 2023 season, when [[Red Bull Racing|Red Bull]]-Honda won 21 out of 22 races. McLaren scored three times as many points as second-placed Ferrari. Reflecting the dominance of Honda power, Williams finished a distant seventh in the Constructors' Championship just one year after winning the title by 61 points.

Prost finished first or second in every race other than his two retirements at [[1988 British Grand Prix|Silverstone]] and [[1988 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]]. He won seven races and outscored his new teammate Senna by 11 points, despite Senna winning one more race than him. Although Prost would have been champion under the 1991 scoring system,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.racefans.net/2009/12/22/think-the-new-f1-points-system-is-weird-weve-seen-much-stranger-than-that/ |title=From 8 points for a win to 25: Every F1 scoring system |last=Collantine |first=Keith |date=22 December 2009 |website=RaceFans |access-date=22 June 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622070750/https://www.racefans.net/2009/12/22/think-the-new-f1-points-system-is-weird-weve-seen-much-stranger-than-that/ |archive-date=22 June 2021}}</ref> Senna took the title by three points under the rules of the day – only the 11 best results from the season counted toward a driver's championship total, a rule that in practice valued Senna's wins over Prost's consistent podiums.<ref name=":3" /> Senna nearly shunted an overtaking Prost into the pit wall at [[1988 Portuguese Grand Prix|Estoril]], but other than that, the two competitors generally raced cleanly on track that year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alain Prost on Senna {{!}} Ayrton Senna da Silva - Legacy Matters |url=https://www.ayrton-senna-dasilva.com/alain-on-senna/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=www.ayrton-senna-dasilva.com}}</ref>

Over the course of the 1988 season, Prost began to suspect that Honda was trying to make Senna McLaren's number one driver, in violation of McLaren's promise to treat the two drivers equally. He met with Honda F1 boss [[Nobuhiko Kawamoto]] at the end of the season to express these concerns. Kawamoto acknowledged that Honda's engineers were probably more excited to work with Senna than Prost, but said that he intended to deliver Prost equal machinery on race day.<ref name=":5" /> However, following the 1988 season, Kawamoto was promoted to a position at Honda headquarters.

====1989====
McLaren's domination continued throughout {{F1|1989}}, and with no meaningful outside competition, Prost and Senna's title fight turned inwards. Prost accused Senna of dangerous driving<ref name=":2" /> and dishonorable behavior.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Rubython |first=Tom |title=Atlas F1 Magazine: The Life of Senna: Six years of continual conflict |url=https://www.atlasf1.com/2004/apr14/rubython.html |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=www.atlasf1.com}}</ref><ref name=":82">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=23 April 2018 |title=McLaren Racing – A 1–2 at San Marino |url=https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/on-this-day-1-2-san-marino-2172059/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302023439/https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/on-this-day-1-2-san-marino-2172059/ |archive-date=2 March 2021 |access-date=12 February 2021 |website=www.mclaren.com |language=en}}</ref> After [[1989 San Marino Grand Prix|Imola]], the two drivers were no longer on speaking terms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arron |first=Simon |date=2021-11-24 |title=Racing's toxic rivals |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-2022/70/racings-toxic-rivals/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Motor Sport Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Prost also accused Senna of receiving unwarranted favoritism from McLaren-Honda. His suspicions were inflamed when Honda sent McLaren an engine crate marked "Special - For Ayrton."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buxton |first=Will |date=2019-02-03 |title=BUXTON: The 2019 team mate battle I'm most excited about {{!}} Formula 1® |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/buxton-the-2019-team-mate-battle-im-most-excited-about.2Ys3NYI5xuODTh9nATMEnt |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website |language=en}}</ref> After Prost (who was in the last year of his contract with McLaren) threatened to join a rival team at the end of the season, Ron Dennis publicly backed Prost against Honda, "declar[ing] that the team had found consistent differences" between the engines that Honda assigned to Senna and Prost.<ref name=":212">{{cite news |title=Honda power casts doubts over Senna |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19890714&id=hclUAAAAIBAJ&pg=4917%2C2115752 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201123447/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19890714&id=hclUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aZEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4917%2C2115752 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |access-date=1 November 2020 |newspaper=The Age |page=27}}</ref> To accommodate Prost's concerns, Dennis attempted to allocate engines on a random basis, such as a coin flip or drawing numbers from a hat.<ref name=":162">{{Cite web |title=Ron Dennis on Senna - Part one: the early years |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2014/4/Ron-Dennis-on-Senna---Part-one-the-early-years.html |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Collantine |first=Keith |date=2009-01-10 |title=Ron Dennis on how the Hamilton-Alonso row compared to Senna and Prost |url=https://www.racefans.net/2009/01/10/ron-dennis-on-how-the-hamilton-alonso-row-compared-to-senna-and-prost/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=RaceFans |language=en-GB}}</ref> 

Matters came to a head at the [[1989 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]], where Prost burned his bridges with both McLaren and Honda. In advance of the Italian Grand Prix, he announced that he would drive for [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] in 1990. Following his announcement, McLaren provided full support to Senna's title chase. Although Prost was the championship leader and would have been the natural candidate for priority, at Monza McLaren gave Prost one car and four or five mechanics, while Senna received two cars and 20 assistants.<ref name=":5" /> In addition, while the new Honda F1 leadership publicly stated that Prost was getting the same equipment as Senna, Prost publicly rejected Honda's reassurances. After Senna outqualified Prost by a mammoth +1.790 seconds, Prost once again complained about Honda to the press. Insulted, Honda threatened to withdraw its engines from Prost's car unless Prost apologized, which he did.<ref name=":19">{{Cite web |last=Milloy |first=David |date=2018-04-09 |title=Alain Prost: the Other Edge of Genius? |url=https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/influx/people/alain-prost/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Influx Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref> Ultimately, Prost won at Monza while Senna retired with an engine issue, giving Prost a commanding 20-point lead in the Drivers' Championship. Prost threw salt in the wound by dropping his winner's trophy into the crowd of cheering Ferrari fans, a major taboo at McLaren.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kumar |first=Tanya |date=4 July 2018 |title=F1: Top 5 Unusual F1 Podium Ceremonies, bet you never knew! |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/f1/f1-top-5-unusual-f1-podium-ceremonies/5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201123507/https://www.sportskeeda.com/f1/f1-top-5-unusual-f1-podium-ceremonies/5 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |access-date=12 November 2020 |website=sportskeeda}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Six of the best – Unusual podium ceremonies |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2015/9/six-of-the-best---unusual-podium-ceremonies.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108122207/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2015/9/six-of-the-best---unusual-podium-ceremonies.html |archive-date=8 November 2020 |access-date=12 November 2020 |website=formula1.com}}</ref> 

Following the tumult of the weekend, Senna opportunistically encouraged McLaren to fire Prost immediately, and Ferrari offered to accommodate the move by switching Prost with Ferrari's [[Gerhard Berger]] for the final four weeks of the season. Cooler heads prevailed, and McLaren allowed Prost to finish the season with the team in exchange for a public, written apology.<ref name=":18">{{cite web |date=January 1990 |title=Alain Prost Interview |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-1990/57/alain-prost-2?v=7516fd43adaa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112191729/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-1990/57/alain-prost-2?v=7516fd43adaa |archive-date=12 January 2023 |access-date=11 February 2021 |website=Motor Sport Magazine}}</ref> This concession eliminated the possibility that Prost would clinch the 1989 title in a Ferrari car.

Prost clinched his third Drivers' Championship at the [[1989 Japanese Grand Prix|Japanese Grand Prix]], the penultimate race of the season. Prost was 16 points ahead of Senna at the time, meaning that Senna needed to win the last two races. By contrast, Prost would automatically become the champion if Senna retired from either race, which was precisely what happened. Prost and Senna collided with seven laps to go, and Prost was widely blamed for causing the collision.<ref name=":5" /> (Prost was leading the race at the time and refused to leave a gap on the inside.<ref name=":18" /> Senna's normal practice was to line up his car for a crash and dare the other driver to back off,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-22 |title=How good actually was Ayrton Senna? Hint: Exceptionally |url=https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/ayrton-senna/how-good-actually-was-ayrton-senna-hint-exceptionally/ |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=www.mclaren.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> and as expected, Senna refused to yield and collided with Prost's car.<ref name=":18" />) Senna managed to restart his car and win the race, but the FIA (led by Prost's countryman [[Jean-Marie Balestre]], whom Senna disliked) disqualified him for missing the chicane, fined him US$100,000 for "dangerous driving," and handed him a suspended six-month ban.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grand Prix Results: Japanese GP, 1989 |url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr483.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620101901/http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr483.html |archive-date=20 June 2006 |access-date=16 August 2006 |work=GrandPrix.com}}</ref>

Following the race, Prost admitted that "I know everybody thinks I did it on purpose,"<ref name=":5" /> but rationalized that "Senna came behind me, I didn't see him come and I couldn't do anything to avoid him. I am very sorry to have to finish[ed] the championship on such an incident."<ref>{{cite news |date=23 October 1989 |title=MOTOR SPORTS ROUNDUP : Senna Is Disqualified in Japan |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-23-sp-300-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110172542/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-23-sp-300-story.html |archive-date=10 November 2020 |access-date=9 February 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> He later said that he knew Senna would attempt to pass him at the chicane, and while "I did not [crash] on purpose, I did not open the door."<ref>[[Senna (film)|''Senna'' (extended edition)]], at 0:54-0:55.</ref> McLaren, now fully behind Senna, unsuccessfully appealed the disqualification, which ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' characterized as Ron Dennis "objecting to his [own] driver's winning the world title."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Moses |first=Sam |date=1990-03-19 |title=Fireworks in Formula One |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1990/03/19/fireworks-in-formula-one-amid-acrimony-ayrton-senna-won-the-us-grand-prix |access-date=2024-09-30 |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}</ref>