Speaking at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend, Prost said he saw echoes of his own calculated style in Piastri, a driver he helped bring into the Renault junior academy earlier in his career.
“I know Oscar much better because I was the one to push Renault to bring him into the academy a long time ago. They did not want to.” Prost revealed.
“I saw him driving in Formula 3 or even before, and then Formula 2. I like the way he behaves — a little bit like me, thinking about when to do the right manoeuvre for overtaking and being a little bit more clever. I like him.
“You never know what’s going to happen, but these types of drivers normally, they can make a progression. If it’s only the driving skill, sometimes they are in a plateau. So I did not do a mistake.”
Prost — famously nicknamed ‘The Professor’ for his cerebral and tactical approach during his racing days — made the comments as Piastri heads into the second half of the 2025 season narrowly ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the standings.
The Woking-based squad has claimed nine wins from the opening 12 rounds and leads both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships heading into the Belgian Grand Prix.
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The Frenchman, who began his F1 career with McLaren in 1980 and raced for the team 107 times, said it was “fantastic” to see them return to the front. He also noted that the current respectful dynamic between Norris and Piastri has so far worked in the team’s favour.
“It’s my family, because I started with McLaren” he said. “I had an unbelievable time at McLaren, even if I finished with a difficult ’89, but remember that I came back also for two years, [in] 95 [and] 96 in a different role. So I’m always very close to this team”
However, Prost warned that championship rivalries can quickly evolve, particularly when a team dominates.
“The championship, that is very difficult when two drivers are fighting for the title but if they have enough advantage with the other teams and drivers, they are going to let them drive and fight which is the best for the sport,” Prost said.
“If it’s getting closer and one driver or team is much closer, then it’s going to become more difficult. At the moment, I don’t think they will have this problem.”
Prost also drew parallels to both his 1988 championship battle with then-teammate Ayrton Senna, as well as his 1986 title-winning season, when he beat the dominant Williams duo of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet despite having a slower car.
“When we were fighting with Ayrton we almost won all the races in ’88,” he said. “We honestly did not care at all about the other drivers or the teams.
“I won the championship in ’86 because Nigel and Nelson were fighting, sharing points, and my car was very less competitive. But at the end, because of the work of the team [and] the cohesion in the team, we had a fantastic year in ’86.
“That’s my best championship, and the best for the team all together.”
The Formula 1 series continues with the Belgian Grand Prix from July 25–28.
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