Alain Marie Pascal Prost is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1980 to 1993. Nicknamed "the Professor", Prost won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and—at the time of his retirement—held the records for most wins (51), fastest laps (41), and podium finishes (106).
Born in Lorette, Loire, Prost began karting aged 14, winning the junior World Cup four years later, and progressing to junior formulae in 1976. Prost won his first title at the Formula Renault National Championship that year, prior to winning the Challenge de Formule Renault Europe in 1977. Replaced by the French Formula Three Championship the following season, he successfully defended his titles in 1978 and 1979. His junior career culminated in his victory at the 1979 FIA European Formula 3 Championship with Oreca. Prost signed for McLaren in 1980, making his Formula One debut at the Argentine Grand Prix, where he finished sixth. He moved to Renault in 1981, taking his maiden victory at his home Grand Prix in France, with further wins in the Netherlands and Italy.