Senna Versus Prost: The Story of the Most Deadly Rivalry in Formula One

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (Outstanding) Review: Auto racing in all forms has had many fierce rivalries between drivers over the years, and one of the most bitter rivalries came in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s between Aryton Senna of Brazil and Alain Prost of France in Formula 1 racing. This rivalry is documented in a book by Malcolm Foley in which he captures the rivalry through research and personal stories and recollections by many of the personnel involved with the two drivers as well at Prost himself, the surviving driver of the two rivals as Senna was killed while on the course in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The writing in this book is very good as the reader will learn much about the workings within the various driving teams in Formula 1. The casual fan may know that a driver is part of the McLaren or Lotus team, for example, but the negotiations, contracts, and interaction between the parties is illustrated in the segments about the two drivers either changing teams or stating that they wish to do so. There are also other great passages about what took place during races between the two rivals, what teammates remembered about the drivers and even some personal moments shared. Some other reviewers of this book have been vocal in their opinions that this book was heavily biased toward Prost, mainly because the author was allegedly grateful to just be able to speak with the French driver. This review is not going to state any opinions on this matter as being a casual fan of the sport at best, I do not have the extensive knowledge of the history of the sport or the two drivers, so this review is simply one of the book itself. Because I was enjoying these stories and did know of the fierce rivalry, I wanted to simply read the book for pleasure and see if I could learn anything new about the drivers – without looking to see how balanced the stories would be. The closest I would come to making any statement toward this would be that I believe the book would have been better if any of Senna’s surviving family members would have been willing to share their stories. Most of the stories that were shared to the author were not complimentary to Senna. Getting more stories that portrayed Senna in a positive light might have helped avoid some of this criticism, but the book overall is still one that I enjoyed reading and would recommend for anyone who wants to learn a little more about the sport or the drivers. Personally, I felt it was an outstanding book Did I skim? No. Pace of the book: Excellent. The story of both drivers moves along well, doesn’t drag when personal stories or recollections are written, and the reader will feel he or she is living the rivalry. Do I recommend? Yes, especially for new or casual F1 fans. I say this because while the book does give good insight into both drivers and the history of the sport at that time, long-time or hard-core fans of the sport may feel the book is tilted too much to show sympathy for Prost. While part of this would simply be because Senna is no longer with us in order to share his recollections, reviews and editorials at various book sites and blogs do have some negative reviews stating the author’s bias toward Prost.

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna were the two most successful drivers of their era. Between them, they won over 90 races and 7 world championships. The time period the book covers from from the late 70s to the day of Senna's death in 1994. Most of it is devoted to chronicling the careers of both men and the one team, McLaren, that was pivotal in both their careers as it rose under the leadership of Ron Dennis to become a potent force in F1 during the 1980s. Both Prost and Senna would race for McLaren for 6 years. They had only two years as teammates, but the intense desire of both men to win ignited an explosive rivalry, the likes of which had not been seen in F1 before or after. We go through this compelling tale through the eyes of several people in the F1 paddock around them - Prost and Senna themselves, other racers, team bosses, engine suppliers and support staff. The author goes to great pains to ensure that this is no one-sided tale. Each of the interviewees brings his own viewpoint, anecdotes and opinions. The end result is both rich and fascinating. For a fan of motorsport history, a fan of either of these men, or just someone who enjoys a compelling human tale - this book is must read.

Great drivers, especially dead ones, provoke intense feelings from their fans. When those are rivals, that intensity increases at an exponential rate with the result that an author may make the most innocent of statements and fans will see that as the gravest of insults of their idols. I believe Folley did an excellent, though thankless, job of presenting a balanced racing biography of Senna and Prost during their prime. If the Senna fan is looking for an expose' showing Prost to be a manipulating politician rather than a great driver, then that fan will be disippointed. Conversely, the Prost fan looking for vendication of his beleif that Senna was a maniac who was willing to kill other drivers in order to win will be equally disheartened. To enjoy this book, the reader should try to read it for what it is, a snapshot of a great rivalry in the late 1980'2 through mid 1990's.

This book provides a lot of insight into the rivalry Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna with tons of stories from Prost and various members of the McLaren f1 team of the late 80s that covers not only Prost's and Senna's time at McLaren, but also their careers leading up to joining McLaren and after all the way until Senna's tragic death in 1994. The only thing that would have made this book even better is if we could have heard Senna's perspective on the rivalry from the man himself, but apart from from interviews and the word of those close to him, that's sadly impossible.

Reading this book took me back to the days of my favorite drivers with great stories about Lauda, Piquet, Mansell, Gilles, Watson, Pironi, Berger, Warwick, etc. They're all in there as well as stuff about Alain & Ayrton that I never knew. Well worth reading, I didn't want it to end (not just because of the obvious reason). I think the author presented facts and interviews quite fairly and I came away with an even higher opinion of Senna as a man. I say any fan of open-wheel racing will gain from reading it.

This is the best book ever written about motor racing. It is insightful and factual. It helped me relieve these eventful years vividly from the inside of the story. Thank you MF. Highly recommended.

I obtained this book to get a better sense of Senna's history, and this was a good start. Prost was interviewed and had input into much of their interaction, and as I read other books on the subject, realized that this book was heavily from his point of view. Good nonetheless, but Senna being unable to counter Prost's statements, a bit "slanted" toward Prost's feelings. It was a good read for sure.

I thought I knew a lot of these since guys I grew up watching them. The depth of the story and the detail that the water goes into is amazing. This is a remarkable story from the golden age of Formula One. And it would be fascinating for anybody who is interested in motorsports. Two of the greatest of all time who were on the same team, but then became bitter rivals, but respected each other greatly.

just great! it is really necessary for motor-rcaing fan to read this book.. very well decribed from a human point of view or technical one! read it!!

Having followed F1 seriously from around 1980 until about 1998, I already consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to Senna and Prost. I was initially cynical as to whether this book would actually be any good but I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I read some of the reviews on here suggesting the book is biased towards Prost but I can tell you that is simply not true. The only people who would feel that are the die hard 'he could do no wrong' Senna fans. If you are able to take an objective, rational view and you know a lot about Formula 1 from this era, then you will understand how different these two men were and realise this is a fair account. There are many interesting interviews with Grand Prix drivers from the era and of course, the Alain Prost interview offers many interesting insights and bits and pieces of information or anecdotes you may not have heard before. Senna's career has been taken to bits and analysed so many times, you cannot expect to read something completely fresh but this is an extremely interesting and well written account of one of motor racing's greatest ever rivalries.

I thought the book was well written and offered the opinions of different people. This is a great compliment to the Senna movie

Just as said delivered in perfect condition and time. ofcourse I would love to read completely about the story of both star racers!

A very balanced review of both of these great talents unlike other books and movies that make Prost out to be a villain.