Alain Prost at Zandvoort in Renault RE40

[MegaBorisTheBLade]

lol the other pilot looks like driving renault... mégane !

[3338MAN]

I'm not in the business of offering a critique of Prost's racing skills as I am not a race car driver. Karts only. I would surmise none of us have any business discussing the merits of his talent or comparing to others in this rather impressive display of a simpel practice. Great old cars. Great old track. Prost shows us how it is done. Zandy was a dandy. Too bad it stopped hosting GP's in 1985.

[solunasunrise]

his still not giving full throttle ...... its a check out of the track ^^

[lealowo]

@solunasunrise actually i think he's driving fast. remember braking power and overall grip was very low back then and formulas were quite heavier, maybe tat's why it looks bit slow

[ikshields]

Now THAT was a clinic, ladies and gentlemen... :-)

[TheChicowhatever]

Great driver but for me the best of all was Ayrton Senna.

[Cuorerallysta1]

@TheChicowhatever Senna is the best!

[Pirolmaster]

Senna or nobody. Fact.

[yvlakhtionov]

Who said Senna was better? I bet not!

[generallee0119]

what a great track, I love it!

[BoddingtonB]

Nice footage, but shame the first two laps are just warm ups

[launger]

along everything else i love how smooth he is with that manual gearbox

[Bennyboy1985]

Funny watching this; Alain, merrily pacing around Zandvaroot at speed, probably completely (yet) unaware of young Brazilian F3 talent named Ayrton Senna...

[kevinkkh01]

Does Alain not know how to heel and toe, I thought he is the world champ.

[nunslittletoy]

@kevinkkh01 well this is first practice, he is taking it pretty easily and doing block shifts instead of going through all the gears on the downchange so his heel and toe is a lot slower than it would be in qualifying for example...

[BaronBoy100]

@nunslittletoy I noticed the block shifts (something possible with the gearboxes then) but wondered whether it was to protect the engine as those early turbos' were fragile and beside I think the brakes were probably more effective than the gearbox in slowing the car, certainly more robust. I never got to watch F1 turbos so can't comment on whether the block shift was normal or not.

[Bedhead750]

@BaronBoy100 The block shift was normal, Mansell complained when he drove the first semi -auto Ferrari in 1989 that it was taking too long changing down sequentially, and the Ferrari later could be programmed to miss out gears on downchanges. He would also have had to keep the revs up to keep the turbo spooled up.

[BaronBoy100]

@Bedhead750 Thanks for the information.

[McLarenMercedes]

Should have been champion in 1983.

Unfortunately a turbo malfunction robbed him of a well deserved title. Renault didn't become champion until 2005.

[cstrnutt2004]

Does anyone know where I may purchase this video "Lap of the Gods"? parts 1 and 2?

[longde]

Behold, the best F1 driver of the modern era.

[Proposalx]

So much Alain Prost is stronger, driving this car looks like very easy

[georgiku]

incredibel boost

[philateliceun]

This race track is like 14 km from my house. My dad has seen almost all the greats race here. But they stopped racing there. You know why? Because the citizens of Zandvoort thought it was too loud. I can't see why people can't endure 1 extra noisy weekend a year. Fucking assholes.

[cyclonevira]

he drove like a proffessor =)

[SkinNplum]

Super smooth driving... they must have been back markers coz they put up no kin of fight lol

[Diswanio]

Nono,only fot this recording they all drove!!

For ELF Motoroil Sponsor!

[Diswanio]

'Lap of the Gods' DVD material

[jack887]

He passed everything on the track!!

[Diswanio]

because it was just 4 recording this onboard.. Thats why

[alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

The Professor at work again. Super smooth as always. I don't know much about this track, but it look likes it has more character than the current bland F1 circuits!! I love his overtake at the 1991 US Grand Prix, super smooth!!!

[RimRiderQC]

Besides the use of turbo, it was almost the era when ground effects were a huge factor in escalading speeds in corners.

It means almost-inexistent suspension and a time when HANS system could have been useful - but not mandatory until the Dale Earnhardt fatal crash.

[MrMeangreenmachine]

I agree those guys had big balls to drive the rocketship of that era.

[CaptainAnimal]

All those guys racing then had massive balls.

[otutitsnileameuQ]

The games company should made a formula 1 game with old cars n circuits. Formula 1 ´79 or F1 92, it could be extremely cool!

[peerless77]

check out rfactor, do a search on youtube for rfactor 79, or rfactor 88

[theFataliT]

why dont they use turbo in the modern f1 again? i mean now they use kers ,which is kinda nitro, just to be faster so why not turbo? its more effective and works all the time not just for four lame seconds like kers does

[eka099]

"its more effective and works all the time not just for four lame seconds like kers does "

thats the point! They don't want the cars much faster....maybe because its too dangerous...I don't know...but kers should only bring a litte tactical advantage...kers should make the f1 more exciting

[theFataliT]

but tbh kers makes it boring. a good example is barcelona massa against vettel. vettel couldnt get past massa because of kers.

[eka099]

yeah your right...first, all cars should have kers for the new season...you know what happened...so i think when every car would have kers (what was planned first) it would be much more exciting....now only some teams got it so your right with your example...but i think a turbo engine would be too fast for todays seafty rules...

sad because f1 isn't longer REAL RACING like in those old days

[theFataliT]

yeah youre right i forgot that turbo today would be alot faster than in those days, because there it doesnt look that fast.

[T1carus]

it made the cars dangerously powerful, however i heard that it was being considered again for use as it cuts down on fuel consumption.

[mighty589]

ownage

[christschinwon]

he paid everyone else to go really slow!

[limitlessracer]

i bet that turbo gets annoying to listen to after a few laps.

[v8578]

I prefer NA (naturally aspired; i.e no turbos etc) engines in F1, especially the V10's used in the 90's-mid 00's because the turbos could have massive lag. However, some turbos such as the BMW's in the Brabhams and Bennetons had huge amounts of horsepower (1000+) and could really go fast down straights. Also these sort of turbos only made a quiet whistle/whine sound, as apposed to the very loud jet-like whining of the gas turbines used at Indianapolis in (correct me if I'm wrong) 1967 and 1968.

[Joshman692]

was tis the turbo era? coz i can hear a slight wine from the engine

[lazerpod66]

Absolutely, right in the hart of it, 1983.

[Joshman692]

yeye those were the best years rlly coz it was just the car and river in perfect harmony

:)

but lewis hamilton is the next legend in f1

[coder63]

Thanks for share!

[roswell1965]

An artist behind the wheel...

[ferkeap]

And this cicuit is so nice.

Nice corner after corner long straight etc.

[ferkeap]

almost seems easy.

[sunshag1]

Roger Williamson actually died at Tunnel Oost, the steep fast right hander right before Panorama. July 29th 1973.

[CitroenC4WRC]

yes, 1492 cc with two turbochargers!

[slumpie92]

the corner at 1:35

[slumpie92]

7th corner

[92NB]

Is this the track Roger Williamson died at? If it is so which corner was it?

[slumpie92]

yes it is. He has died here in 1973 in the Panorama corner.

[92NB]

Which of the corners are Panorama? Corner number?

[joe744]

u right lazerpod66..prost da man he knew this circuit for sure a toughie, lauda and senna

just catching him but of course senna was more guts ,but this the way to drive

[hoplageis57]

What a great track. Just a shame Prost is just cruising around. The reason why is that analog cameras were heavy and disturbed aerodynamics, so there was no way to carry them for a qualifying lap. Don't cry like that, mate, there are a few ones on qualifying - look for 'Prost Jerez' or 'Prost Suzuka': you'll be able to compare his driving with Senna's one!

[lazerpod66]

Everytime I see this video, it floors me to see how Prost was a true master, really a top driver, everything is perfect, apexes clipped, downshifts are spot on, and above all, the whine of the renault turbo on another great track lost forever, a shame really.

[YRHDB]

You´re right, that clean driving squeezed the best of every chassis, engine, fuel load, brakes and gearbox performance. So he got the most points to become the best 80´s and turbo age driver.

[lazerpod66]

Absolutely YRHDB, he was with Senna, the absolute king of the turbo era.

[lucianoestivill]

This video makes me remind of Belgium 1986,  when Alain with a seriously bent steering column requiring him to adjust his steering by a 1/4 turn on the straights ALL race, set a Fastest Lap 2 seconds faster than anyone else, and finishes 6th for a vital point (he won the title by just 2 points that year). John Barnard watched the telemetry and said Prost didn't once touch the boost. He took that drive out of himself, not the car, and Barnard rates it one of the best performances he's ever seen!

[lucianoestivill]

Hehe, I almost forget why He had his steering column broke in Belgium 86: A first corner contact with Berger forces Prost to limp slowly around the longest circuit in F1 for a new nose. He resumes in last place, with a seriously bent steering column requiring him to adjust his steering by a 1/4 turn on the straights for the rest of the race.... ALL SAID.....

[lucianoestivill]

Prost in Jerez 90, with a race set up, is freaking amazing!!!. Suzuka 89 Qualifying lap doesn't impress me, but Alain's camera car during the race is just from another planet. Alain (starting from 2nd on the grid) emerged into a 1.4 seconds lead at the end of 1st lap with still cold tyres. I always believed that the mentioned 1st lap was a psychological punch up on Ayrton's face that day... That lap meant: "Ayrton, be careful, this one is gonna be mine!!!" And it was........

[Pietervdv]

Great video of the old track I used to visit when I was a kid. You could walk the inside of the track and stand at the apex of Tunnel Oost, right after the left-right chicane (wasn't that the Marlboro Corner?). Security was a joke in those days.

[spooky78]

What was the top speed of this car..seems so slow..:)

[BMWizardofOz]

depends on the circuit, on this rather slow one I would guess about 270 km/h

[Gaiajohan]

Haha, the old Zandvoort a slow circuit...

In 1985 the Zandvoort circuit was 4252 m long.

Fastest lap by Prost was 1:16.538

Which means 44.12 laps per hour

44.12 x 4.252 = 187.60kmh average speed.

I myself wouldn't call it a slow circuit, more a moderate circuit.

Slow circuits are Monaco and Hungaroring.

[BMWizardofOz]

he meant the topspeed, nor the average speed.

Old Silverstone was a fast track in average speed, too, with sometimes over 200 km/h, but surely nor one of the top speed tracks, like Hockenheim or Monza.

So I think my 270km/h for Zandvoort should be a quite good guess.

[pumpkins667]

can someone explain how Prost downshifts at the end of long straights (gears and pedals) ? no wonder he was called the Professor with such precise technique...

[davesideways]

Easy, he just waits longer that the rest to select the gear for the corner...Instead of 5-4-3-2 he just leaves the car in 5, waits longer in the gear and then heel and toes into 2....

The rest seem to go 5-4-3-2...Alain only goes down 1 change per corner...Saves gearbox wear and driveline abuse...

He doesn't do anything that special, he is just minimising every aspect of his driving...

He brings the revs up longer and later as a result.

[lucianoestivill]

By mean of minimising every aspect of driving davesideways, He managed to get 4 Championships, 4 Runner Up, 51 wins, 41 Fastest Laps, 33 Poles, 106 podiums, almost 800 points.... That's F1 is all about: trying to be the best. Ayrton, Alain, Mansell, Lauda, Piquet, are just one of the few that managed to kick asses many times. The rest........ just go round and round......

[lucianoestivill]

His technique is simply pumpkins667: Prost usually braked with his downshifts, giving his car a smooth line and allowed him to attack corners and chicanes by a superb management of the over steering of his car. It's just a a matter of physics.... Amazing.... This is the only one guy I've ever seen looking "slow" but doing stratospheric times....... SUPERB!!!.

[danyelath]

Was Roger Wiliamson's crash in curve at 3:01?

[peterprm19]

yes he burned there

[danyelath]

Ok, thanks

[92NB]

I think you mean 4:01? because the curve at 3:01 is in the wrong direction and its a straight for most. Roger died in a Left Right shicane as at 4:01.

[darylz07]

No, it's at 3.01, 4.01 is the corner before Scheivlak. ;)

[Pietervdv]

You're right, it's 3:01, that's Tunnel Oost and that's where it happened.

[LeonSzillard]

Damn, fast car

[Pingguest]

The 1982 cars were faster.:)

[AlexdeSantiago]

Great video, but that car is sooo much faster than the pack! Like is has some 150 hp more, really strange to see. Of course a guy like Prost helps too, but just watch the straights.

[LeonSzillard]

more than 150, looks like around 2 times the power

[jeepee27]

This lap at zandvoort was in practice, so Prost seems to gobble them up, but they are cruising. There was a big difference between the atmos and the turbos in 83, was even worst in the years after that.

[LeonSzillard]

Probably true, but it's impossible to say if the other cars here were trying. (they don't seem to be trying at all, which is odd) I don't remember there being in car footage at that time, so I'd stick my neck out and say this is probably what it looked like during races too...

[jeepee27]

All this footage is the work of Alin Boisnard, all available on the dvd lap of the gods. Miniaturized cameras made their start around 1985, but obviously lacked the quality of the Prost footage, just superb.

[chicacto]

absolutelly masterfull: the fastest time possible with the littlest wear it could be done with...this style doesn't gather fans but it did gather points

[n2s]

omg

the camera is huge

must have caused a enormous drag

lol

I wouldnt let them put it on my car.

[egmiguel]

great vid, zandvoort was a really fast track then

[jeepee27]

Right egmiguel, was a fabulous track lost forever, like the old osterreichring and Kyalami and Hockenheim...so sad.

[shack544]

Indeed, this clip is a great display of his talents. I love the shortshifting in some corner exits, and this car really hooks up down low. Bellxl, thanks so much for posting these awesum 5min clips.

[jeepee27]

You are right davesideways, Prost was an absolute master, the way he downshifts, every corner is perfect, the timing is spot on when he blips the throttle, you just can't be more professional than this, a master grand prix car driver, period.

[davesideways]

Professor only changes down 1 time before a corner..He doesn't nail all the gears on a downchange pattern, only the one needed for the corner ahead. At T1 here he goes down from 6th to 2nd, not 6-5-4-3 as some drivers do...He does a very long throttle blip in neutral, from the moment he disengages to the moment he is going slow enough to engage the gear...much less dog gear wear.

[XFASHIONPROST]

At last someone who appreciates the unique driving style of the great Prost. His braking and corner turn in style is technically brilliant. Early turn in with the brakes on gently all the way into the apex. Master

[lucianoestivill]

XFASHIONPROST, the talent, skill, and mastermind Prost possessed is out of question..... His pudding and records speak for themselves..... Being the Senna fan I am (and Prost as well), makes me feel sick every time I see some current noobs doing stupid manouvres and missing their cars every time, in every circuit, under every condition. Nothing compares to this kind of GENIUSES like Senna, Prost, Lauda, Piquet, Mansell..... No way....

[MIGUELBO]

Incroyable, merci pour tout ces bijous... Grand Prost, lui et Senna, on oubliera jamais les quinze GP en 16, en 1988.

[KarmaGermany]

When the sun is in the right angle you can see the shadow of that huge onboard cam ;o)

Nice video, I just can't enough of footage like that, tanks for sharing!