Prost on Netflix Senna Series: Complete Bullsh!t

"Senna" was a six-episode Netflix series that was broadcasted recently on the life of the late triple F1 champion, but his McLaren teammate between 1988 and 1989, Prost, was not happy with the way he was shown as the villain.

Senna and Prost had an intense teammate rivalry at McLaren, who was dominating the sport, the pair winning 25 grands prix out of 32 during the time they drove for the Ron Dennis-led outfit.

Prost said of the narrative pushed by the "Senna" Netflix series: "Bullshit, bullshit, complete bullshit. Almost everything has been completely fictionalized.

"I've only seen a few pictures and heard quite a lot of feedback. As with the film Senna, the first one, which I probably spent even more time on than my own documentary, and this biopic, it's obvious that I won't be satisfied, of course.

"Because there is always a good guy and a bad guy," the Frenchman went on. "I know a little bit about the story that is being told, and yes, it is a biopic; it is fictionalized. But unfortunately, a few repetitive stories are inserted that are totally made up, just totally wrong."

During their time at McLaren, Senna and Prost crashed at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, and while the latter retired, the Brazilian finished and won the race but was disqualified for rejoining the track in what was deemed an illegal way by the FIA, which was at the time presided over by Jean-Marie Balestre.

The Netflix series showed a different relationship between the rivals when the Prost stopped driving at the end of 1993.

Prost pointed out this different interaction with Senna; he said: "I don't keep the bad moments or any bad souvenirs in my mind about him.

"I keep the last six months [of his life] in mind. That's when I knew Ayrton much more than ever before. He was a completely different person; I understood who he was and why he was acting sometimes."

"Near the end, when we were close, it was very strange because we would talk about the bad safety and this kind of thing.

"He would ask me many times to take the lead of the GPDA, and I said no. We had some very private discussions together around this time. It was very strange.

"I keep this souvenir [of him] from then right until his last day because I met him two or three times, and just before [the race at Imola], and of course he was already this different person to me.

"That is why I prefer to think about that alone," the winner of 51 F1 races maintained.

And despite all these events between Senna and Prost happening over 30 years ago, the Professor revealed that he still gets fan messages about that rivalry today, some of which are offensive.

Prost said: "I can't not think about Ayrton, fortunately or unfortunately, if you like... For example, I'm considering turning off my Instagram because I get messages every day, really every day without exception—from time to time there's a hateful one, yes, that can happen.

"My biggest fan base on social media is from Brazil, of all places, so I'm forced to think of him. Indirectly, I've been living around this story for 30 years, and it will probably stay that way for the rest of my life.

"Life consists of many parts: the path to motorsport, my career, and now. In the 30 years [since I retired], I have done a lot, but it is hardly talked about. I get the feeling that my life is just this Prost-Senna duel," Prost concluded.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has leaped to the defense of Prost following the news of fan abuse and said in a social media statement: "Former world champion, Alain Prost should not be driven off social media due to online abuse.

"His experience highlights the harsh reality faced by sports men and women at all levels — daily abuse, harassment and even threats.

"Under mine and the FIA’s leadership, United Against Online Abuse is developing the educational, technological, and regulatory solutions needed to protect competitors, officials, and fans to ensure that sport remains a place of strong but fair and inclusive competition," Ben Sulayem concluded.