Alain Prost

He was also 29.5 points away from being a 10-time world champion.

He finished 1st in the championship 4 times in his career.

He also finished 2nd in the championship 4 times in his career.

He came 4th twice and 5th twice as well.

He was teammates with 5 world champions in his career: Niki Lauda ('84&'85), Keke Rosberg ('86), Ayrton Senna ('88&'89), Nigel Mansell ('90 before he was a world champ) and Damon Hill ('93 also before he was a world champ).

I can’t wait for him to retire tied at 106 in a few short weeks. If he wins all three remaining races, he’ll retire tied for Fangio for career wins at 11th.

Everyone is busy talking about if Lewis wins this and Max gets this then who will win the title. Well what if Kimi comes off the top rope?

Good day

GOAT debates are always fun. Comparing legends of different eras and deciding who is King of them all. Names in F1 drivers that I see frequently see being associated with the term "GOAT" are Schumacher, Senna, Fangio, Clark and most recently Hamilton.

But one name that I never see come up in a GOAT debate, is the name of Alain Prost, or at least not nearly as much as the names mentioned above. So here is my case for Alain Prost quite possibly being the greatest of all time.

Rivals - Every great needs a strong rival, Ali famously went up against Frazier and Foreman, and Prost had strong rivals of his own. The 80's arguably had the most stacked grids in F1 history. With drivers like Prost, Senna, Mansell, Piquet, Lauda, Villeneuve, Rosberg, Arnoux, Berger, etc. all being considered legends of the sport today. Prost went up against Senna, Lauda, Mansell, Arnoux, Hill, Rosberg, Alesi in the same car and beat every single one of them at least once. He only lost to a teammate in 2 seasons of his career, which were Senna in 88 and Lauda in 84 (we'll get into those soon).

Lost Championships - Championships and general achievements are of course a big factor in any GOAT debate. Schumacher and Hamilton wouldn't be as highly regarded as they are without their 7 titles. Prost himself has 4 world championships to his name, but despite this, he is the unluckiest driver in F1 history in my humble opinion if you look at the amount and manner of championships he lost out on.

1981 - This was Prost's 2nd season in F1, driving for Reno, with Arnoux as teammate. Prost lost the championship to Piquet by 7 points that year. That season's Reno was ridiculously unreliable, with Prost enduring 9 dnf's in 15 races, which was absurd even in those days when engine and mechanical failures were commonplace. In the 6 races Prost did manage to finish, he got 3 wins two 2nd place and one 3rd placed finishes. With a more reliable car Prost walks that Championship (Piquet only had 4 dnf's).

1984 - Half a point, Alain Prost lost the 1984 championship by half a point going up against Niki Lauda at Mclaren. It remains the closest margin in a championship battle. Now I'm not saying Niki didn't deserve this title, when the margin is that close I believe both drivers deserve it. Considering this was Prost's 1st season at Mclaren, and the lack of experience he had going up against Lauda (who is one of the greatest of all time in his own right), losing by half a point isn't anything to sniff at.

1988 - I think most on here are aware of how ridiculous the 1988 points system was, but if you aren't, the best 11 results a driver had counted to the points total of the championship, and not all races. Had this season had a normal points system, then Prost would've won it by 11 points. Beating Senna in both their seasons together as teammates.

Demolishing teammates - The 1st person a F1 driver gets compared to are their teammates, and as mentioned before, Prost had some monster teammates, and he absolutely demolished a lot of them. Here are some points gaps:

1981 - Prost 43 vs Arnoux 11

1983 - Prost 57 vs Cheveer 22

1985 - Prost 69 vs Lauda 14

1986 - Prost 74 vs Rosberg 22

1990 - Prost 73 vs Mansell 37

1993 - Prost 99 vs Hill 69

The best racecraft in F1 history - Prost wasn't a slouch in qualifying by any stretch, beating all his teammates in quali bar Senna, but what he was most known for was his performances on Sundays. With a career 51 wins from 33 pole positions, Prost just completely outclassed drivers on racedays. With a very smooth and consistent driving style, technically brilliant overtakes, and measured approaches, Le Professeur was head and shoulders above everyone else.

Genius and unique talent - Unlike most F1 drivers who've done karting since they could basically walk, Prost started at a dramatically later age of 14. He showed his talents immediately, winning karting titles within a year of starting. He was born to drive a racecar. His naturally gifted talent, paired with his limitless genius, made him a force to be reckoned with. We have, and might never see a driver quite like him again.