Prost sees Verstappen as an example: 'Is also about character'
Red Bull Content Pool
General
According to Alain Prost, a Formula 1 driver has to be selfish to become a world champion, but that does not directly mean that someone cannot be a nice person. For World Championship titles, you have to have a certain character, and he takes Max Verstappen as an example.
Can a Formula One world champion be a nice guy? "I have to disappoint people, but I think - yes, it is possible," Prost told ServusTV. "Of course you have to be an egoist, of course you have to have a strong character to succeed in Formula 1, but one does not have to exclude the other."
In recent years, Max Verstappen has proven to have the character of a champion. "Max comes before everyone else, not only because of his outstanding talent, with which he gets more out of the car than his teammates. It is not just because of his amazing car control. It is also about character and mental attitude," said the four-time world champion.
Character
Of the 19 other drivers, only Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have won world titles in the top class of motorsport. In recent years, a new generation of drivers has emerged, but do they have the total package? Winning races is one thing, but driving a whole season so consistently that it includes a world championship is another.
"Some of the other young drivers have shown fantastic speed, such as Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Charles has already won races and Lando and Oscar undoubtedly have what it takes. But it is one thing to win and quite another to drive consistently at the highest level for a whole season and be able to fight for a title. Even for me today, it is impossible to say how they would deal with that pressure if they find themselves in this situation," Prost concluded his story to the Austrian television channel.