AUGUST 11, 2001

Prost's friendship in tatters

ALAIN PROST has lashed out at his former friend and team mate Jean Alesi as the French Sicilian prepares for life as a Jordan driver, having jumped ship after a second miserable year with Prost's outfit.

Prost has accused Alesi of childishness and abominable behavior after Alesi, who is something of a folk hero in France, revealed that he and the four-time world champion had fallen out after both the French and British Grands Prix and that he had received a letter from Prost's lawyer shortly after that made him want to bail out of the floundering French team.

Prost has taken the bait and fired back a salvo of complaint about his somewhat mercurially minded ex-friend.

"These recent events are grotesque and I don't want to comment in detail," he said. "When we agreed to separate it was agreed that nobody would give their version of what happened. Ten minutes later he was telling everyone everything on the radio. This is a childish attitude."