Abu Dhabi: Formula One legend Alain Prost believes that the winner of the final race in Abu Dhabi will head into the 2018 season with a psychological advantage.
Former four-time world champion Prost said that drivers today need to handle a lot of pressure compared to his racing days.
Only Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel (with four championships each), Juan Manuel Fangio (five) and Michael Schumacher (seven) have equalled or surpassed Prost’s number of world crowns.
From 1987 until 2001, Prost held the record for most Grand Prix victories and is considered as one of the greatest F1 drivers ever. Schumacher surpassed Prost’s total of 51 victories at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix.
“To get the team all together means it [the race] has to end with a win. And this is psychologically important for next year,” Prost said.
“The psychology part is all for the entire Formula One and the teams involved. You want something important to be able to carry you forward.”
The world drivers’ and teams’ championships have both been decided before the teams headed to Abu Dhabi for the season finale, but Prost believes the hunger to win remains for the drivers.
“I think that drivers are always focused, whether it is their last race or the first one. There is something happening in the head, the stomach, the fire running in the stomach. The motivation is still there every minute,” Prost said.
“As a driver you are always having it in your mind that you need to have a nice weekend. It is good for a driver as he has a lot of pressure to handle. It is the last race to go before the chequered flag falls on the season.”
