Formula 1: Prost’s F1 dream in tatters

Alain Prost’s dream of repeating his driving success as a Formula One constructor is almost certainly over after his Prost Grand Prix team were put into receivership.

The Frenchman has called a 3.30pm press conference at the team’s Paris headquarters today where he is expected to reveal his plans for the future of the debt-ridden organisation.

The writing had been on the wall since Prost’s accountants revealed a stg£19m hole in the team’s budget ahead of September’s United States Grand Prix.

The Prost team entered Formula One in 1997 when the four-time world champion bought out the Ligier squad but has struggled to make progress - despite buying customer Ferrari engines for this season.

After picking up 21 points in its debut season, the team managed just one in 1998, nine in 1999 and none at all in 2000.

A year ago Prost believed the decision to adopt a Ferrari engine for the 2001 season would be the making of his team.

But while Sauber, with the same engine, jumped from eighth place to fourth with 22 points, Prost could still only limp through the season, never starting higher than 11th on their way to four points, all from Jean Alesi.

The use of five drivers - Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Luciano Burti, Tomas Enge and Gaston Mazzacane - summed up the difficulties of the team.

Alain Prost missed the last Grand Prix of the season in Japan because he was hunting down sponsorship for next season but, barring a last minute saviour, his hunt appears to have been in vain.