Eight titles 'easy' for Hamilton, says four timer Prost

Record ID: 1562730

  • Title: Eight titles 'easy' for Hamilton, says four timer Prost
  • Date: 16th July 2020
  • Summary: WOKING, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - FEBRUARY 24, 2017) (REUTERS) DRIVER FERNANDO ALONSO LOOKING AT THE MCL32 CAR ALONSO TAPPING THE CAR ALONSO TALKING TO MEDIA
  • Embargoed: 30th July 2020 11:57
  • Keywords: Alain Prost Fernando Alonso Formula 1 Lewis Hamilton
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
  • City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Motor Racing,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA004CN27UIN
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Four times Formula One world champion Alain Prost says he can see Lewis Hamilton stretching his own title tally to an easy eight, judging from the first two races of the season.
    Hamilton already has six, one short of Ferrari great Michael Schumacher's record, but Mercedes won the opening Austrian rounds of a season delayed by COVID-19 and the rules are unchanged next year.
    Prost said Hamilton, whose victory in last Sunday's Styrian Grand Prix was the 85th of his career, was only getting stronger.
    "The more stable he is in a team, the more stable he is in his life, you can see that he is better," the 65-year-old Renault F1 adviser told Reuters on Wednesday (July 15) ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
    "To beat Lewis for a world championship, especially with that car and the team he has now, is going to be very difficult. Almost impossible in normal circumstances," added the Frenchman, representing the team's Dubai-based title sponsor DP World.
    Asked how many titles the 35-year-old might ultimately claim, Prost -- whose fourth in 1993 was something extraordinary at the time -- considered the evidence.
    "He has six. I would say eight, easy," he declared.
    Renault's 2005 and 2006 world champion Fernando Alonso is returning next year after two seasons out and Prost expected the Spaniard, who turns 39 later this month, to be still as fiercely competitive and motivated.
    Alonso will replace Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who is moving to McLaren next year. Four times champion Vettel faces an uncertain future, with Ferrari announcing his departure at the end of this year.
    Prost said he could see Alonso was fired up for a new challenge after difficult years with McLaren following disappointment in five years at Ferrari.
    (Production: Iain Axon)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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