Alain Prost would favor Ferrari comeback over McLaren F1 opportunity. Alain Prost would prioritize helping Ferrari return to the top of F1 over a potential role at McLaren.

Alain Prost Sees McLaren as ‘Family’ but Would Choose Ferrari for a 2025 F1 Comeback

Despite winning three of his four Formula 1 championships with McLaren and considering the team “like my family,” Alain Prost would prefer to race for Ferrari if given the chance in the 2025 F1 campaign.

McLaren has emerged as the dominant force on the 2025 F1 grid, securing back-to-back victories with Lando Norris in Australia and Oscar Piastri in China. Their car has proven to be the most competitive over a full race distance, largely due to superior tire management. In contrast, Ferrari is locked in a fierce battle with Red Bull and Mercedes to establish itself as the second-best team. The Scuderia’s SF-25 has shown promise in qualifying but has struggled with race pace, and concerns are growing that its redesigned front suspension has made the car more challenging than anticipated.

Despite McLaren’s early-season success, the French former racing driver and motorsport executive would still choose the Maranello team over the reigning favorites. The French racing legend, who boasts one of the most illustrious careers in F1 history, has driven for some of the sport’s biggest teams, including McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, and Williams. His move to Ferrari in 1990 nearly secured him another title, finishing as the championship runner-up.

Though he never claimed a title with Ferrari, Alain Prost eventually secured his fourth and final championship with Williams in 1993 before retiring. Now, if given the opportunity to return to the grid in 2025, Prost would opt to race for Ferrari, believing in the challenge of restoring the iconic team to its former glory.

Alain Prost mentioned in an interview with beIN Sports France that if he had to choose a team, he would consider Ferrari. He explained that while McLaren felt like family to him, he was drawn to the challenge of helping the Italian side return to the top, similar to his experience in 1990.

Ferrari and McLaren, two of Formula 1’s most iconic teams, have not won a drivers’ championship since 2007 and 2008, respectively. Ferrari’s last drivers’ title came in 2007 when Kimi Räikkönen secured his only championship, while the Scuderia also claimed its most recent constructors’ title the following year in 2008. Despite this long gap, Ferrari remains the most successful team in F1 history with an impressive 16 constructors’ championships, far outpacing second-place Williams and McLaren, each with nine titles.

Currently, Ferrari faces significant challenges in refining their SF-25 car, which could potentially push the team to wait for the new F1 regulations in 2026 for both chassis and engine development before they can secure another championship. However, the allure and prestige of leading Ferrari back to the top remains a powerful motivator for those, like Alain Prost, interested in bringing success to the Italian side.

Similarly, McLaren, though no longer the dominant force they once were, has also been without a drivers’ championship since 2008 when Lewis Hamilton clinched his first title. Despite this, McLaren’s fortunes could be about to change, with young drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri poised to end the team’s lengthy drought. After breaking a 25-year team title hiatus by securing the 2023 constructors’ title, McLaren’s prospects for the future look promising, and a drivers’ championship could be within reach for the team in the near future.