Prost: McLaren's policy will backfire
Tuesday, 19, June, 2007, 13:47
Four-time world champion Alain Prost believes his former team McLaren’s policy of allowing its drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to race on equal terms will ultimately backfire.
The team-mates are locked in a fascinating battle at the top of the drivers’ standings, with the latest duel going rookie Hamilton’s way at Indianapolis after a race-long fight with the Spaniard.
Team boss Ron Dennis has long declared that both drivers have equal status at McLaren, although he admitted to ITV Sport following his current pair’s monumental battle last weekend that a consequence of that policy is that more pressure is created inside the team.
Prost, who had a bitter rivalry with Ayrton Senna at McLaren in 1988-89, has warned the Woking squad that it is employing a dangerous strategy.
“I think that now it is a mistake to have two equal cars within the same team,” the Frenchman told Spanish newspaper El Pais.
“In the end it will work against them because it creates too much tension.”
Points leader Hamilton’s dazzling start to his Formula 1 career, including the way he has been able to take on and beat the double world champion, has stunned even the most seasoned of F1 observers.
The British star underwent an intense period of preparation ahead of his debut, including hours of work in McLaren’s state-of-the-art race simulator.
Prost, who won 51 grands prix in his illustrious career, reckons this simulator work is part of the reason Hamilton has found the MP4-22 easier to drive than Alonso has.
“Now the simulator has reached an amazing level of perfection; it is even able to simulate weather conditions, rain, wet asphalt, wind, everything,” Prost said.
“And Hamilton has used the simulator much more than Alonso and his driving style is much smoother, less abrupt than the Spaniard’s.
“As a result I think that McLaren finds it easier to set up the cars to suit Hamilton’s style.
“But that can't disguise the fact that Alonso is a super driver, a great, great driver.”
source:
itv.com/f1 - Prost: McLaren's policy will backfire