Alain Prost criticized every team on the grid except for Aston Martin, claiming that nine out of the ten Formula 1 teams are currently “in crisis.”
Red Bull has won all three races so far in this season, and their drivers have finished first and second in two of them. As a result, the Milton Keynes outfit now has a comfortable lead in the championship. Yet according to the Frenchman, there is cause for alarm even for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
When it comes to his opinions on the current state of the grid, Prost obviously doesn’t have a positive outlook. Only Aston Martin managed to dodge a critical assessment of their current predicament in a feature for the French sports weekly L’Equipe ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
“It’s a weird start to the season,” wrote the four-time world champion. “Wherever you look, you can see that it’s not going well and that, in a way, it’s already a crisis.”
“And a crisis on all levels, whether you are a big or a small.”
“There are, of course, the factory or historic teams which are suffering, such as McLaren, which is not only not rebuilding but, year after year, is plunging.”
“There is Alpine, whose recovery is still slow in coming. There is Mercedes, which persists in its admittedly innovative concept but which obviously does not work.”
Prost afterwards criticized a former squad of his.
“Ferrari, by deciding to bring in new blood and a new head, a foreign one at that, does not have today the results that we would have liked for it. And they won’t arrive immediately,” he wrote.
Yet Red Bull, despite their dominance, may have cause for concern if Prost is right about his remarks.
The Frenchman claimed and also cited forceful statements made by Sergio Perez in recent weeks, that the team’s method of favoring one driver, Max Verstappen, which has proven to be so successful, is beginning to show indications of failing.
“Sergio Perez, now settled in the team, is discovering that he can win and is no longer willing to compromise to stay,” Prost added.
“Even if Red Bull’s domination continues, the next few weeks will be crucial for the reigning world champions.”
“It’s clear that anything can quickly throw a spanner in the works and that, even at the top, a crisis is never far away.”
However, Prost wrote in a far more positive tone regarding Aston Martin.
“Last year, it decided to draw a line under its 2022 car and agreed to reinvent itself.”
“First, it changed drivers, without a second thought, from Vettel to Alonso… It took the time to understand what it was doing and is now at the top, far from the crisis that the others are going through.”
“A lesson for all the other teams.”
