99 Prost AP02 - Motorsports Almanac

The Prost AP02-Peugeot
Prost AP02 FIA Formula 1 car
Technical Specifications (1999)
Four-times F1 world champion Alain
Prost unveiled his new car in France, last
Monday - and warned McLaren and
Ferrari they had better watch out for his
team. At Prost's headquarters at St
Quentin-en-Yvelines; in the south-west
surburbs of Paris, Alain Prost was
optimistic his team could not only
improve on the disappointments of last
season but also make large strides forward.
Prost fires F1 warning shot : "It is always
difficult to say exactly what a team's
objectives are and I don't want to be too
specific," said Alain Prost as he showed
off his Peugeot-powered AP02, the
second car from the team since he took
over. "But if we have Ferrari and
McLaren within reach, that will be
reasonably good." The new Peugeot A18
engine in the AP02 is a development of
the A16 engine which raced in ‘98. Still a
72-degree V10, but it is lighter, with a
gain of 6 kg at a weight of 119 kg.
DESIGN TEAM
Technical Director : Bernard Dudot (Alan Jenkins replaced Dudot from June, 1999)
Chief Designer : Loic Bigois
Aerodynamicist : Ben Wood
Engine : Jean-Pierre Boudy of Peugeot Sport, Velizy, France.
Consultant : John Barnard of B3 Technologies, Guildford, UK. (Mainly suspension design)
PRODUCTION
Numbers built : 7 cars (01/02/03/04/05/06/07)
Manufacturer : Prost GP, Quartier des Sangliers, 7 avenue Eugène Freyssinet, F-78220 Guyancourt, France.
CHASSIS
Type : Carbonfibre Monocoque, with four carbonfibre bulkheads of which two bulkheads are
bonded in during assembly. (Designed and built by Prost Grand Prix.)
ENGINE
Model : Peugeot Sport A18
Evolutions : EV2 (AUS), EV4 (RSM-Q), EV4 (GB), EV5 (FRA-Q), EV7 (EUR-Q), EV5 (MAL)
Type : 72° V10, gear-driven DOHC, 4VPC with pneumatic valve return.
Capacity : 2998 cm
Bore x Stroke : 93.00 x 44.14 mm (estimation)
Max Power : 760 PS @ 16500 rpm (775 PS @ 16800 rpm for qualifying) (estimations)
Compression Ratio : 13.2:1 (estimation)
Management : TAG Electronic System 2000. Fixed induction trumpets.
Materials : Light alloy block and cylinder heads.
Lubrication : Dry-sump, 8-litre oil tank located between the engine and the chassis.
Cooling System : Asymmetrical. Separate Secan water radiators in each side pod.
Fuel and lubricants : Total
Dimensions : 620 mm; width: 512 mm; height: 393 mm
Weight : 119 kg
TRANSMISSION
Gearbox : 6-speed Prost GP/Xtrac, longitudinal, semi-automatic shift, magnesium casing.
Clutch : AP Racing Multi-disc.
SUSPENSION
Front and rear : Double wishbone and carbon composite pushrod actuated 2+1 Dynamic Suspensions
dampers. Torsion bars.
BRAKES
Front and rear : Carbone industries carbon fibre discs. Brembo monobloc calipers and Prost Grand Prix
master cylinders.
WHEELS
Front and rear : BBS 12.0 x 13”
Rear : BBS 13.7 x 13”

TYRES
Front and rear : Bridgestone Potenza 265/55R-13
Rear : Bridgestone Potenza 325/45R-13
DIMENSIONS
Length : 4680 mm
Wheelbase : 3242 mm (estimation)
Front track : 1490 mm (estimation)
Rear track : 1405 mm (estimation)
Fuel Cell : 125 litre ATL rubber tank
THE AP02 LAUNCH – PROST FIRES F1 WARNING SHOT 29/01/1999
French F1 driver Olivier Panis said he drove throughout last year's season with the fear that one mistake could end his
career. Prost Peugeot driver, speaking at the launch of the team's new car, broke both legs in a crash, back at the
Canadian GP in 1997. He needed knee-to-ankle plates inserted in each leg and was told by doctors that if he crashed last
season it could end his career. Olivier has now had the plates removed and feels confident of his ability again. "Now I
feel it is much better," said the 32-year-old, who has won one race : the 1996 Monaco GP. "I've had them taken out and I
feel as if I have my 1997 legs back again on duty. I am 100 per cent fit now. It has lifted a dark cloud that was in my head
all the way through 1998. I never felt totally at ease and they told me it was a risk, that if I had another blow at any time
last season it would end my career." Four-times F1 world champion Alain Prost unveiled his new car in France, last
Monday - and warned McLaren and Ferrari they had better watch out for his team. At Prost's headquarters at St
Quentin-en-Yvelines; in the south-west surburbs of Paris, Alain Prost was optimistic his team could not only improve
on the disappointments of last season but also make large strides forward. Prost fires F1 warning shot : "It is always
difficult to say exactly what a team's objectives are and I don't want to be too specific," said Alain Prost as he showed off
his Peugeot-powered AP02, the second car from the team since he took over. "But if we have Ferrari and McLaren
within reach, that will be reasonably good." The team struggled last season, scoring just one point, but he has higher
hopes for 1999 when he maintains driver pairing Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli. His optimism is based on a workforce
that has doubled to over 200 and enjoyed a quantum leap in technology. He continued : "We have a terrific team spirit
now. We have made a leap forward with team and car and we all know it. John Barnard believes Alain Prost has a
secret weapon in French aerodynamicist and designer Loic Bigois. "Loic looks to me as if he has what it takes to become
one of the best. He's a truly top class aerodynamicist and I think he's up there with all the best of them, whoever you
want to name." Barnard added Bigois had done a superb job in revising the aerodynamics of the AP02 and he was
backed by Italian driver Jarno Trulli. "I am not saying this just because it is our official team launch, but I am truly
excited by the look of the new car," said Jarno Trulli. John Barnard also revealed he hoped to enjoy a solid long-term
relationship with his old friend Alain Prost. "It is a big job and it's my only F1 interest at the moment. I'm hoping it is
going to be a long-term relationship because Alain and I go back a long way. I am pretty optimistic about it because I
like the work we have done and I like the look of the car. Now we have to wait and see." concluded John Barnard.
HOW CAN PROST MAKE HIS TEAM COMPETITIVE? 28/02/1999
When Alain Prost, before the official launch of the AP02, spoke to the press - in front of his whole executive team and
his partners - he began with a question : " After the paradoxical 1998 season - that is a considerable amount of work that
wasn't rewarded by very significants results - how can we make the Prost Grand Prix a competitive, stable and longlasting
team ? ". Here was proof that the "Professor" has now been transformed into a captain of industry. In several
phrases, putting emphasis on such words as competition, globalization, strategies, partnerships and return-oninvestment,
the four-time Formula 1 world champion defined the new F1 universe. With no detours, he confirmed his
team's strong determination to achieve great success. And even if a major challenge lies ahead, there is no question of
leaving any room for chance. There's no time to lose : " We have to move fast and create partnerships like the one with
John Barnard of B3 Technologies, to make optimum use of the finest talent that cannot be developed in-house ". At
Peugeot, there is ample support for this strategy : " When it comes to passion and technological innovation, Prost GP is
an ideal partner for us ," explains Frédéric Saint-Geours, general manager of Peugeot's Motor Car Division. " We want
to double our sales outside Europe within the next five years. Our involvement in Formula 1 racing is a natural part of
our global strategy, as F1 reaches new markets, such as China ." To meet such challenges, an efficient work space is
clearly a vital requirement, and the new factory at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines near Paris would seem to fit the bill with
its leading-edge technology, expert staff and integrated wind-tunnel. " Aerodynamics is the basic feature of the AP02
project," insists project manager Loic Bigois. Then, with the same confidence he exuded when smashing lap records,
Prost today explained the principles underpinning his ambitions : " Every team that is out to win must have the
resources and use them to advantage; success comes from a variety of organizational details, but also from enthusiasm
and a shared passion. This is the context in which I am making my plans, and in which we have to hold our course from
the first day. This has to be a long-term project ". This logic extends to the AP02. According to the Prost : "this is not a
revolution, just an evolution ". Yet the transformation is clear when it comes to the motor. " This A18 motor will evolve
two more times during the championship ," says Jean-Pierre Boudy, technical director at Peugeot Sport. " The A20 for
the year 2000 season should be running by May 1999 ." To achieve the anticipated results and to move beyond the
disappointments of the previous year, the new AP02 must make reliability its chief attribute, according to Bernard
Dudot, technical director of Prost GP. " With only 5000 kms of trials, the car has to function as an ensemble and accept
the new motor into its chassis from the first Grand Prix on March 7. Our brand-new digital simulation tools and testing
benches will give us the means to facilitate this ," he adds. John Barnard is particularly proud of his achievements : " I

contributed to the general plans for the car (wheel base and weight), and more specifically to the design of the front end
and the suspension system ". But it is the drivers who are "the core of the structure," according to Alain Prost. Olivier
Panis and Jarno Trulli, with back-up from Stéphane Sarrazin, are getting ready to board their new vehicle for the first
trials at Magny-Cours. All that was left to do was a final adjustment to their seats. " The goal is to gain positions in each
race ," Olivier Panis says. " I have never seen a team of technicians so committed to their drivers."
PROST GP DEVELOPMENTS 29/04/1999
The San Marino GP is an important date in the Formula 1 Championship calendar as it is the first European Grand Prix,
and somehow like a second start to the season. During the Brazilian Grand Prix, Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli had the
chance to demonstrate that the Prost Peugeot AP02 finally has the potential to fight with the best teams. So the second
1999 Grand Prix was for the Gauloises Prost Peugeot team, the proof that a big step had been achieved. More than ever
ready and motivated to continue this way, the team started an important test programme after Brazil. The first test
session took place in Barcelona with the official test driver Stéphane Sarrazin. He mainly worked on the validation of
aerodynamic measures, completing many laps. It was also his first run in the Prost Peugeot AP02, and he was very
impressed with what he found. The second test session took place in Jerez with most of the other Formula 1 teams.
Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli worked mainly on the preparation for the Imola Grand Prix, but also to prepare Monaco.
For Imola, they worked on the braking system, especially testing materials and disc cooling. The San Marino race track
really doesn't resemble any other track. There are very few quick corners, and the drivers are between braking and
accelerating most of the time, which means it is very hard on the brakes. The last part of Jerez's test session was based
on the comparisons of different car's set-ups for the qualifying session of the next race. The last test session took place on
the Lurcy-Levis track with Stéphane Sarrazin. He drove a brand new chassis, No 5 of the Prost Peugeot AP02, which
will be the spare car for Imola. For the first European Grand Prix, the team and the drivers are confidant. The Prost
Peugeot AP02 is continually evolving and the different test sessions have shown that the engineers and mechanics of
Prost and Peugeot are working in the right direction.
FRENCH GP – RACE REPORT 27/06/1999
- OLIVIER PANIS
"Overall, it has been a positive weekend for the team. We have not had any mechanical problems at all and we handled
the qualifying session well. I started on the second row and I spent most of the race in the leading bunch. We did all that
we could, but unfortunately today we did not score any points and that is a pity. But it will happen soon. In any case, I
am happy because my car behaved very well in the rain and I felt good."
- JARNO TRULLI
"I made a good start in gaining one place. I came up behind Olivier and we drove the first part of the race together, our
lap times were very close to those of the leaders until it started to rain. From that moment on, the conditions became
dangerous and I thought the decision to bring in the Safety Car and to keep it on the track as long as it stayed was the
right one. My set-up was not ideal in the rain, I had quite some understeer. I attacked from the start to the finish, but it
wasn't enough for me to get into the points."
- ALAIN PROST
"The hardest thing for the team is to know that we did not score any points today: Above all, it is the first time this
season that we have had both cars running at the finish and both on the same lap as the winner and in the top ten. The
seventh and eighth places are, however, the most difficult to accept, but the important thing for us and for our
supporters is to be fighting at the front of the field during almost the entire race. We were competitive all through the
race, Olivier and Jarno have both driven beautiful races without any errors. The entry of the Safety Car cost us dearly as
we were well placed from the start, but in the end we are satisfied overall to have a weekend that has been positive."
- CORRADO PROVERA of Peugeot Sport
"For the first time this season, our two cars started in the top ten and finished the race. Unfortunately, they finished just
outside the points in the worst positions. It is frustrating for the whole team at our national 'home' Grand Prix and for
the drivers who are not rewarded. One small consolation: we have now gone several Grands Prix without any
mechanical problems troubling us in a race."
EUROPEAN GP – FIA PRESSCONFERENCE 24/09/1999
Q: Jarno, can you tell us about the latest EV7 evolution of the Peugeot A18 engine which you will be using here?
Jarno Trulli: Yes, we had the evolution EV5 version with the exhausts on top for qualifying in Spa and at Monza, and we
have gained quite a lot of power, especially at Monza, where we could have been more competitive than I was until I
had a mechanical problem and crashed the car in qualifying. Anyway, I was always close to the top [with this engine]
and I am very happy about this evolution. It is important to see people still pushing to improve the car. Even though we
haven't had the right results, it helps to keep morale high. We used the top-exhaust engine on both cars today and
tomorrow for qualifying we will have the new EV7 version (there is no EV6) which is even stronger than the EV5. It's
getting better and better, which is important with three races still to go.
Q: Alain, there have been so many rumours suggesting that Jarno may join Jordan for the final two races this year.
What can you tell us about this? Do you expect him to stay with you?
Alain Prost: For sure we have a contract with Nick [Heidfeld] for next year, but the contract does not cover the end of
this year. In that case, Mercedes and McLaren would obviously have to be involved, but like you and Jarno I have seen a
lot of rumours in the press. If there something is to happen, I would first have to receive a request from Eddie [Jordan],

and only then would I ask Jarno what he might want to do. I would also have to consider what was best for the team in
the next two races, and also for the future. But unless I receive a request I have nothing to consider.
Q: There has been a report that you would be happy to sell part of your team to Peugeot. Is that true?
Prost: That was a comment that I made during the year when I was asked a question by an English journalist about the
Peugeot situation. I told him that the best for the team -- or for any team in general -- would be to have an investment
from a major manufacturer. As I said, it would be good for the long-term stability of the team, and to show the
manufacturer's commitment to the team and to Formula 1. But it is not a very recent declaration ...
JAPANESE GP – RACE REPORT 31/10/1999
- OLIVIER PANIS
"We were going for a great race weekend, and I can't feel any other way than very disappointed after retiring. Since the
middle of the season, in fact since Didier Cotton and Kéké Rosberg have started to take care of my business, I was able
to concentrate on my job as an F1 driver. Finally I could devote 100% on my work with my team and fight to win. For
my last GP with the team I really wanted to do something special, and I was on the right track for that. I made a very
good start and completed my 18 laps of the race in 3rd position. My car was feeling wonderful and everything was great
until an alternator shaft failure just after my first pit-stop. This cut all the electrics on the car including those to the gear
box. It's one of those things... I think I have proved during the second half of the season, that I am still a good driver and
this will be helpful for my future. I take my hat off to all the team for all the work that has been done. We have
progressed a lot in the last two years, which will give encouragement to all during the off-season. But they mustn't rest
on their laurels - there is a lot of potential for next year, but also still a lot of work to be done."
- JARNO TRULLI
"This morning I had a good feeling with my car, which was well balanced. Even though I broke my gear-box, I was 8 th
in the warm-up with one quick flying lap only. Before the race I did my installation lap and found that all was well with
the car. During the formation lap, I made a start and felt immediately a problem with the clutch which gave me a lot of
wheel spin. I lost two places and following that the engine seemed to lose power. During the fourth lap I had to stop for
a reason we can't determine until we have stripped down the car."
- ALAIN PROST
"In spite of everything we have finished the 1999 Formula 1 season on a high note. Olivier qualified in 6th, Jarno in 7th
place. Olivier made a fantastic start, but sadly our reliability left us. Jarno had a problem that we haven't identified yet
and Olivier a problem with the alternator. He can only be very frustrated for this afternoon's race because he could have
hoped for a podium finish - I would have been very happy for him. Anyway the team is on the right track, but to
combine performance and reliability we still have a lot of work to do. Thank you to all the team for this season of
constant progression, even though at times it was not..."
- CORRADO PROVERA of Peugeot Sport
"Olivier Panis missed the chance of our second podium position this season. His start was incredibly good and he
completed a wonderful first part of the race until his alternator drive broke, which cut the signal to the gear box. Jarno
Trulli's race was prematurely stopped because of an undetermined problem. The last GP of the season saw both Prost
Peugeots qualify excellently on the grid but it ended sadly. Nevertheless with 9 points and a 2nd place in the European
GP, the global result of the team is much better than last year. Peugeot Sport sincerely thanks Olivier Panis and Jarno
Trulli for the professionalism and determination that they have shown during these last two years of racing, and wish
them a lot of success in the future.
OLIVIER PANIS INTERVIEW BY JOE SAWARD 26/01/1999
At the launch of the new Prost-Peugeot AP02 Olivier Panis admitted that for much of last season he was worried about that if he
crashed we would injure his legs so badly that his F1 career would be over. Panis broke both of his legs in a huge accident in
Montreal in 1997 but made a quick recovery to return to the Prost team before the end of that year. He now admits that despite what
he said at the time he was worried.
O Panis: "It is true that I was keeping a little secret last year. I did not always want to be seen talking about the accident
but when I was operated on after the crash the Canadian surgeon said that I would still have some pins and stuff inside
my legs and that there would be a risk that if I have another accident and hurt my legs again, my career might be
finished."I didn't have any choice but to accept at the time because I had to get back into a car as quickly as possible. But
throughout the 1998 season this was always something that was in the back of my mind. It was always worrying me a
little. In fact it did not really make much of an impression on my performance because the car was so bad."
Q: As soon as the season ended you flew to Montreal and underwent further surgery to remove the material and the
pins in his legs. Is the problem now solved?
OP: "Today everything has been taken out and I feel completely fit. We have a completely new car and a highlymotivated
team so I hope that this will be the last time that I have to talk about the accident. I am thinking about the
new car and its development programme."
Q: Do you think that your experiences have made you a lot tougher mentally?
OP: "Sure. I think that given everything I have been through I am stronger. I always had a group of people around me to
support me and Alain Prost was very important. He was always there during my convalescence - it was pretty tough at
the beginning - and he helped me. It was good for building my character. When things are going well there are always
people around you, but when things go wrong a lot of them forget you. So when you come back you have a new idea
about people and you become much more objective. You know what are the important things in life and now little
things which used to annoy me I don't care about any more. I am looking at 1999. It is a really important year for me and

for the whole Prost team. I am preparing for it like I have never prepared before. It is hard from a physical point of view
but I have big ambitions. I am 100% free of the problem of my legs and now I really want to do well in 1999."
Q: Can you be a little more specific about those aims?
OP: "We want to do better than last year. That will not be too difficult because last year's performance was terrible. The
good thing was that despite all the problems the team stayed together, stayed positive and concentrated on the job of
improving the old car and building a much better one in 1999. It was also a good season because the relationship
between Jarno (Trulli) and I was very good and we were able to keep a good ambiance in the team. This year's car is
very different. It is completely different to the AP01 with completely new technology; input from John Barnard and a
great deal of work which has been done by Loic Bigois and his team on aerodynamics and work on the engine at
Peugeot Sport. They have all built the fastest car they possibly can. It was a lot of work."
Q: You talk about keeping a good ambiance inside the team, but it must have been difficult to keep up your
motivation given the car and the fact that you were worried about your legs?
OP: "Formula 1 is my passion and I want to win races. That is what I wake up every morning wanting to do. I had a few
sleepless nights in 1998 that is true but I really believe that 1999 will be a different story."
Q: How difficult is it to be on good terms with a team-mate? Ultimately the F1 world will judge you on how you do
in competition to him. It must be difficult to keep up a good relationship?
OP: "Jarno is quick and there is always a risk that there can be a problem between two drivers. We have had our
moments of doubt but when that happens we have talked to Alain. If there is a decision to be taken he takes that
decision and we live with it. We are not children and so when there have been things Jarno and I have talked together.
He is a driver of the future. That is obvious. He is fast but he remains objective and very correct towards me. In the races
we fight each other like we would any other driver but in general we work together for the team. That is very good to
keep the team motivated."
Q: Last year at the launch of the AP01 you said that you were confident in the car and that you were looking forward
to a successful new season. What makes you think that this year will be any different?
OP: "Last year when I saw the new car I thought it looked good. We were all hoping to produce miracles. Well, miracles
don't exist. After the first few laps we were a little bit disappointed but we said: "OK. It's going to be a tough year" but
we did not give up. We went to work to make the car reliable and then tried to improve the speed. This new car is a
different story. We have already done a lot of testing with the new engine. The new gearbox has done 3700 miles of
testing. We know from the figures that the chassis is more rigid, the aerodynamics are better, the engine is better and all
these things mean that I am much more confident much more optimistic than I was a year ago."
PEOPLE: LOIC BIGOIS – PROST GP CHIEF DESIGNER AND AERODYNAMICIST
From Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France, Bigois developed a passion for engineering during his school years and
won a place to study engineering at the famous Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris. He specialized in
aerodynamics and after graduating moved to Toulouse, the home of much of France's aerospace industry, to work for
the Microturbo gas turbine company as an aerodynamics engineer. Like many engineers who end up in F1, he found
industry to be rather frustrating. At the end of 1990 he was approached by the Ligier F1 team, which was restructuring
its technical department under Frank Dernie, and was hired to replace departing aerodynamics engineer Henri Durand.
In addition to the aerodynamic work he did a lot of the team's CAD-CAM design work. Guy Ligier's enthusiasm for F1
was beginning to wind down and at the end of 1992 Cyril de Rouvre bought the team. Dernie went to work at Benetton
and Gerard Ducarouge was left in control. Bigois worked under the veteran F1 engineer until mid-‘94 when Ducarouge
was sidelined by new owner Flavio Briatore. Fed up with all the chopping and changing Bigois accepted a job at Sauber,
replacing Mike Gascoyne, working under technical director Andre de Cortanze. The musical chairs was to continue in
mid-‘95 when de Cortanze was hired to be technical director of Ligier - which was by then being run by Tom
Walkinshaw. Bigois followed de Cortanze back to Magny-Cours and played a major role in the design of the ‘96 car. In
March ‘96 Walkinshaw and Briatore fell out and there was yet another reshuffle with Walkinshaw's engineers departing
to join Arrows. Bigois decided to stay in France and was appointed head of research and development under de
Cortanze, who would soon depart from the company leaving Bigois to become Ligier's last technical director. When
Alain Prost bought the team Bigois was named chief designer of Prost Grand Prix , and he remained in that role under
technical director Alan Jenkins and his replacement Durand until Prost closed down and he then moved to Minardi.
PEOPLE: JEAN-PIERRE BOUDY
Jean-Pierre Boudy was born in the Dordogne department in southwest France just as the country was being liberated
from the Germans in July 1944. He spent his student years at France's most famous engineering schools - the Ecole
Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Metiers - first in Bordeaux and then in Paris. His passion was designing racing engines
and, after graduating in 1969, he joined France's most famous competition engine builder Amedee Gordini. A year later
Gordini was taken over by Renault and Boudy was put to work designing a V6 rally engine for Renault. When that job
was completed he teamed up with two other Renault-Gordini rising stars - Francois Castaing and Bernard Dudot - to
design a two-liter V6 engine. This engine went on to win the European two-liter sportscar championship for the Alpine
team; and was modified to win the Le Mans 24 Hours and several European Formula 2 titles. As this success was
unfolding Boudy was away from the race tracks, researching cylinder head designs. In 1975, however, he was back with
Dudot again, designing the prototype Renault F1 turbo engine. This made its race debut in 1977, driven by Jean-Pierre
Jabouille. As the Renault Sport team grew to become one of F1's leading players Boudy ran the engine research and
development department. At the end of 1983, Jean Todt offered him the chance to be head the engine department of the
new Peugeot Talbot Sport organization. Boudy jumped at the chance and in the years that followed his engines enjoyed

emarkable success in rallying - winning the 1985 and the 1986 World titles and the Trans-Sahara Paris-Dakar raid on
several occasions. Boudy's engines even won America's Pike's Peak hillclimb. In 1989 Peugeot set its sights on victory in
the Le Mans 24 Hour race and Boudy designed the V10 engine which went on to power Peugeot 905 sportscars to
victory at Le Mans in 1992 and 1993. Inevitably, Peugeot decided it was time for F1, and so Boudy designed a new V10
engine which was raced in 1994 by the McLaren team. He became technical director of Peugeot Sport but after the
operation was taken over by Asiatech he was replaced but later reappeared workin back at Renault Sport.
CONSTRUCTORS: PROST GRAND PRIX
On February 13, 1997 Alain Prost bought the Ligier team from Italian Flavio Briatore. The following day he signed a
three-year deal with Peugeot for 1998-99-2000. He inherited Olivier Panis and Shinji Nakano, Mugen-Honda engines
and Bridgestone tires. It was not an easy season although the JS45 was very competitive when the Bridgestone tires were
working and Panis finished fifth in Australia, third in Brazil and looked a likely winner in Argentina until his car broke
down. In Monaco he was fourth and in Spain second so he went to Canada in third place in the World Championship.
Unfortunately he broke both legs in an accident and had to replaced by Jarno Trulli. The Italian did well, leading the
Austrian GP in dominant fashion before his engine failed. Panis returned in September and scored a point in the
Luxembourg Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. A few weeks later the team hired Bernard Dudot to be its technical
director. Trulli was signed to drive alongside Panis in 1998 and Loic Bigois designed the Prost-Peugeot AP01. While this
was being produced the team moved from the old Ligier base at Magny-Cours to a new factory at Guyancourt near
Versailles. Unfortunately the new car was not reliable, modifications to the troublesome gearbox made the car handle
badly and the 1998 season was very disappointing. Prost did a deal to use John Barnard as a technical consultant and
that was announced in December 1998 with Barnard's B3 Technologies helping Bigois and the design of the AP02. Panis
and Trulli both agreed to stay in 1999 and the AP02 proved not to be a bad car although the Peugeot engine had become
too big and too heavy. Prost bolstered the technical team midway through 1999 by hiring Alan Jenkins to be his new
technical director and in the autumn hired Formula 3000 Champion Nick Heidfeld and Jean Alesi to drive in 2000. The
2000 season was a disaster with Jenkins fired in the midseason. Prost restructured again, bringing in Joan Villadelprat as
managing director and Henri Durand as technical director and selling a shareholding in the team to the Diniz Family.
Alain also did a deal for the team to use Ferrari engines in 2001 and there was much optimism at the start of 2001 that
the team was finally moving in the right direction. But the money ran out and at the start of 2002 Prost went out of
business, leaving a debt of around $30m.
PROST AP02 – RACE SUMMARY
Date Race # Driver Chassis Qual Qual time + PP Result Points
07/03/99 Australia 18 O Panis AP02/03 20 1'35.068 4.606 DNF/23 laps/Wheel 0
07/03/99 Australia 19 J Trulli AP02/02 12 1'32.971 2.509 DNF/25 laps/Collision 0
11/04/99 Brazil 18 O Panis AP02/03 12 1'18.636 2.068 6 TH/71 laps/(-1 lap) 1
11/04/99 Brazil 19 J Trulli AP02/02 13 1'18.684 2.116 DNF/21 laps/Gearbox 0
02/05/99 San Marino 18 O Panis AP02/03 11 1'28.205 1.843 DNF/48 laps/Throttle 0
02/05/99 San Marino 19 J Trulli AP02/02 14 1'28.403 2.041 DNF/0 laps/Spun off 0
16/05/99 Monaco 18 O Panis AP02/03 18 1'22.916 2.369 DNF/40 laps/Engine 0
16/05/99 Monaco 19 J Trulli AP02/05 7 1'21.769 1.222 7 TH/77 laps/(-1 lap) 0
30/05/99 Spain 18 O Panis AP02/05 15 1'23.559 1.471 DNF/24 laps/Gearbox 0
30/05/99 Spain 19 J Trulli AP02/06 9 1'23.194 1.106 6 TH/64 laps/(-1 lap) 1
13/06/99 Canada 18 O Panis AP02/05 15 1'21.252 1.954 9 TH/68 laps/(-1 lap) 0
13/06/99 Canada 19 J Trulli AP02/06 9 1'20.557 1.259 DNF/0 laps/Collision 0
27/06/99 France 18 O Panis AP02/05 3 1'40.400 1.959 8 TH/72 laps/ +58.531 0
27/06/99 France 19 J Trulli AP02/07 8 1'42.096 3.655 7 TH/72 laps/ +57.771 0
11/07/99 Great Britain 18 O Panis AP02/05 15 1'27.543 2.739 13 TH/60 laps/ +1'20.492 0
11/07/99 Great Britain 19 J Trulli AP02/07 14 1'27.227 2.423 9 TH/60 laps/ +1'12.045 0
25/07/99 Austria 18 O Panis AP02/05 18 1'13.457 2.503 10 TH/70 laps/(-1 lap) 0
25/07/99 Austria 19 J Trulli AP02/07 13 1'12.999 2.045 7 TH/70 laps/(-1 lap) 0
01/08/99 Germany 18 O Panis AP02/05 7 1'43.979 1.029 6 TH/45 laps/ +29.879 1
01/08/99 Germany 19 J Trulli AP02/07 9 1'44.209 1.259 DNF/10 laps/Engine 0
15/08/99 Hungary 18 O Panis AP02/05 14 1'19.841 1.685 10 TH/76 laps/(-1 lap) 0
15/08/99 Hungary 19 J Trulli AP02/07 13 1'19.788 1.632 8 TH/76 laps/(-1 lap) 0
29/08/99 Belgium 18 O Panis AP02/05 17 1'53.148 2.819 13 TH/44 laps/+1'41.543 0
29/08/99 Belgium 19 J Trulli AP02/07 12 1'52.644 2.315 12 TH/44 laps/+1'36.154 0
12/09/99 Italy 18 O Panis AP02/05 10 1'24.016 1.584 11 TH/52 laps/Engine 0
12/09/99 Italy 19 J Trulli AP02/07 12 1'24.293 1.861 DNF/29 laps/Overheating 0
26/09/99 Europe 18 O Panis AP02/05 5 1'20.638 0.728 9 TH/65 laps/(-1 lap) 0
26/09/99 Europe 19 J Trulli AP02/07 10 1'20.965 1.055 2 ND/66 laps/+22.619 6
17/10/99 Malaysia 18 O Panis AP02/05 12 1'42.208 2.520 DNF/5 laps/Engine 0
17/10/99 Malaysia 19 J Trulli AP02/07 18 1'42.948 3.260 DNS/0 laps/Engine 0
31/10/99 Japan 18 O Panis AP02/05 6 1'39.623 2.153 DNF/19 laps/Alternator 0
31/10/99 Japan 19 J Trulli AP02/07 7 1'39.644 2.174 DNF/3 laps/Engine 0

1999 SEASON REVIEW – GAULOISES PROST PEUGEOT by Ewan Tytler
Gauloises Prost AP02-Peugeot A18 / 7th, 9 Points / 0 wins, 0 Pole Positions, 0 Fastest Laps, 15 DNF / Team Principal: Alain Prost.
The Prost-Peugeot AP02 set very competitive times in pre-season testing at Catalunya, but it was a different story under
racing trim. The Peugeot A18 engine was obviously very fast, but was overweight compared to the Mercedes, Ferrari
and Ford engines. This seems to have caused problems in properly balancing the car, especially on slow circuits.
Although Jarno Trulli and Olivier Panis didn't publicly complain, it was clear that the Prost AP02 was a handful to drive
and was unstable under braking. On high-speed circuits like Hockenheim and Monza, the Prosts were fast but tended to
be mobile chicanes. Under wet conditions at Magny-Cours and the Nurburgring, the AP02 handled quite well. Tension
built between Prost and Peugeot during the season but this appears to have resolved itself with an increased
commitment from Peugeot.
IMAGE GALLERY
Jarno Trulli at Canada ’99. Jarno Trulli at Magny Cours during testing.
Jarno Trulli showing the AP02 profile at Brazil ’99.
SOURCES
http://www.peugeot.com.hk/sport_prost_peugeot.htm
http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-prost.html
http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00311.html
http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cref-bigloi.html
http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cref-boujea.html
http://www.atlasf1.com/99/nov10/tytler.html
http://www.atlasf1.com/news/2000/features/launch/prost.html
http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html?http://f1.racing-live.com/en/headlines/news/detail/9901290847.shtml
http://f1.racing-live.com/en/index.html?http://f1.racing-live.com/en/headlines/news/detail/9904290901.shtml
© Compilation by Rainer Nyberg 2003-09-16 Fact-sheet 03/104