Nicolas Prost, son of four-times F1 champion Alain Prost, imitated his father by driving a Renault F1 car at Magny-Cours this weekend.
Prost drove a 2009-spec Renault R29. The car carried the team’s 2010 colour scheme which harks back to the design used when his father drove for them in the early eighties.
Alain Prost drove for Renault from 1981 to 1983, winning nine times and finishing runner-up in the championship in his final season with them.
But he left on a sour note having criticised the team’s failure to develop their turbocharged car throughout 1983, allowing Nelson Piquet to snatch the world championship from him at the final round.
Son Nicolas won the European Formula 3000 championship two years ago and now races in the Le Mans Series.
Also driving the R29 this weekend were Renault Development Driver Ho-Pin Tung and Mikhail Aleshin.
Aleshin got his chance to drive the car having been leading the Formula Renault 3.5 championship heading into this weekend. But the Russian driver spun the R29 as rain fell during his demonstration run.
Elsewhere this weekend Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen are demonstrating a Lotus T127 at the Classic Team Lotus festival at Snetterton near the team’s base in Norfolk.
Nicolas Prost Renault R29 demonstration pictures
Image (C) Renault World Series
Tomcat173
20th June 2010, 13:47
Thats an interesting bit of marketing from Renault… any word on who was fastest? ;)
matt90 (@matt90)
20th June 2010, 13:57
There was a display car parked in Basingstoke festival place the other week. Was rather random.
Lee Sharp
20th June 2010, 18:53
haha, yes i saw that too! And a Simulator game where you could only drive the Renault
Damon
20th June 2010, 14:01
Haha, he looks more like being Alex Zanardi’s son!!!
Robert Kubica is still the true “little Prost” :]
Tomcat173
20th June 2010, 14:06
hahah.. you’re absolutely right on both counts!
We want turbos
21st June 2010, 0:36
“little”? Somehow I thinks there’s a slight error? He’s a giant!
Macca (@macca)
20th June 2010, 14:01
An update for those who are interested, Mikhail Aleshin also won the first race of this weekends round of the Formula Renault 3.5 championship, which was rain effected.
Sush Meerkat
20th June 2010, 14:42
He drove the R29?, what did he do to receive such a punishment?
ciaran
20th June 2010, 14:47
I nearly had a heart attack there,I thought it said Piquet Jnr not Prost Jnr.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
20th June 2010, 17:48
I was about to say the same thing!
GeeMac
20th June 2010, 16:11
With so little difference between the R29 and R30… who could tell if they really did drive the R29! ;-)
Only kidding!
bosyber
20th June 2010, 16:30
Except one only has to see the front wing to instantly know for sure ;-)
GeeMac (@geemac)
20th June 2010, 17:16
I know, I know, bad joke!
Ben
21st June 2010, 4:59
Pretty easy to tell the difference between the R29 and R30. Was the car overtaken by grandma on her scooter? If so, its the R29.
John H
20th June 2010, 18:12
Not another one!
With more and more sons of ex-drivers, it tends to suggest that perhaps F1 isn’t actually the best drivers in the world after all…. or perhaps it’s just coincidence!?
AlonsoWDC
20th June 2010, 18:15
Obviously you’re not familiar with nepotism’s role and place in society at-large.
Willian
20th June 2010, 18:52
I was thinking if we’ll watch Nicolas Todt and Bruno Senna running together someday. Old times feelings. :P
Willian
20th June 2010, 18:53
Where I said “Todt” read “Prost”, of course.
paris en ligne
20th June 2010, 18:54
oh great operation marketing :D
miguelF!
20th June 2010, 19:20
one question ferrari last week tested their fda drivers how do we know if they werent testing anything or are there no restrictions. at the inauguration of the new silverstone i saw there a mercedes f1 car with an very odd front wing yesterday i read on ferraris f1 page that alonso had shoot an comercial at the ferraris test track fiorano it was the first time he drove there an ferrari f1 car and he said that he had to take every chance due to testing limitations
Jake Butler
20th June 2010, 21:48
just a thought…who of the world champions sons do people think are most likely to reapeat the feat of the hills? (only father son wdc)
We want turbos
21st June 2010, 0:39
…. What are your choices? Rosberg or… Er… Erm… Rosberg it is then of the current lot, Other than that Nicolas Prost may be a future wdc but you never know!
DC
21st June 2010, 7:49
Well, Rosberg is the obvious choice but there are some other outside possibilities. Mansell’s sons are active racers. You never know about Piquet Jr. – maybe his dad will buy a team someday. Stranger things have happened. Marco Andretti is the grandson of a champion and is sometimes mentioned as an F1 prospect.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
20th June 2010, 22:12
Of the current lot? Rosberg.
wasiF1
21st June 2010, 2:11
I want the French GP back in 2011 even that be in Magny-Cours
Tomás
21st June 2010, 5:31
I was really happy about it, because the sons of champions is not very appearance in the F1 (the one that currently runs, correct me if I’m wrong, is Rosberg, the son of Keke). And the factor that France has always been a traditional country in F1, with pilots and exceptional winners and now does not even have a single representative, must grate a little the French nation. I hope that Nicolas has a chance, but I find it difficult …
Alex 3
22nd June 2010, 1:16
He loses a bit of hair and gets his nose broken and improperly set and he will look just like his old man. Now does he drive as well?
Jake Butler
22nd June 2010, 22:36
i never said of the current lot. i meant like the mansell jrs, piquet jr, rosberg jr, prost jr, even joshua hill who has had success at a young age. bruno senna is the nephew of an ex wdc but will he ever submit a challenge?