JANUARY 29, 2003

Prost - a year on

Today is the first anniversary of the demise of Prost Grand Prix with debts of $30m and although Alain Prost is back in competition, racing in the Trophee Andros ice series and telling the world that almost all his former employees have found work, there is still considerable bitterness amongst some of the 196 people who were laid off when Prost Grand Prix went out of business. According to the liquidator there are round 30 people who a year later are still unemployed. A lot are no longer in Formula 1.

"No sooner than the liquidation was announced," one former employee told Le Figaro, "Alain Prost flew away to Mauritius for a three week holiday. We were left on the unemployment line. We were shocked to learn that each season Alain had invoiced the team several million dollars for the use of his name. At the end he was the principal creditor of the team."