PROST Ap04

[felipezsc]

Is it just me or did the 2001 prost AP04 look alot like one of the 2002ish Jaguars? Also i would like to ask: what made the PROST car so bad?

[Steven]

As I said in my year-to-year report of 2001 : "In my opinion though, this was one of the most beautiful cars that drove in the 2001 season, sorry to see that wonderful blue dissapear from the grid."

Still I think it was a wonderful car, and it really looked quick in my eyes. If, and only if the problem was with aerodynamics, if must have had to do with the underbody. It's a known fact that this can greatly influence grip when riding on curbs, and thus cornering.
Having such a problem is hard to solve, unless you have Adrian Newey (note his underbody design just before he left to Williams long ago - the team almost won a GP!). An underbody problem makes it very difficult do find problems to the (rear) suspension also, as you cannot rely on a stable car.
Ferrari engines may not have been the problem (they were financially though), but I guess it was all a matter of traction and cornering grip.

[Monstrobolaxa]

I agree Tomba....it was one of the most beautifull cars of 2001....if not the most beautifull....it was a wonderfull car...I saw it live....while pre-season testing at Estoril...and I even got Jean Alesi's autgraph! (2 actually )

At the pre-season tests it seemed to be much better then the Renault...but anyway I don't really know what happened.....the rear of the car was spectacular....I believe its main problem was front end grip....put I'm not so sure....! Could it be that Ferrari cut the maximum RPMs in the Prost engine????you never know....Sauber had been a client for 4 years....so Ferrari might have had a secret deal....who knows.....but now looking back it's really strange why the Prost AP04 was so off pace.

I know that developmente stopped after the first 3 races due to lack of sponsors.....

[-shr3d-]

hey all, i do agree bout the AP04 in that it was a beautiful looking car, best of all the Prosts.... unfortunately no-one has really come clean as to why it was so fast in preseason testing and then nowhere in the races....
just the rumors that they were running underweight during preseason but how much can that take off a lap time i wonder....
i believe the current Ferrari is up to 100kg under the weight limit allowing excellent use of ballast to meet the regulations......
Hail jean Alesi.......

[Steven]

well actually it wasn't a bad move for Prost, who was still trying to get some sponsorship deals at the moment of preseason testing. That way he could show how well the AP04 performed compared to any other car for the coming F1 season.
A pity Prost left, as the blue was also one of the better colours on the grid. Don't you think some teams really have "winning" colours. The lotus had it for instance (in de gold-leaf colours), Ferrari's got it, Renault is also such a team, yellow and white. And to give you something else... Toyota... oh my do I hope the'll find a new colour scheme soon! ... and Minardi, come on doesn't the painter got any ideas at all!??

BTW: a pic of the AP04

[felipezsc]

I agree that PROST was a sexy car. I really like the color scheme. I agree Minardi do have sucky colors, but what should what do you all think Toyotas color should be? Because i have no idea. I really like the blue from prost (but not for toyota) I also like the Red and yellow colors....and i think that little "paint stroke" look to the car is so cheesy.

P.S wasnt there supposed to be an all "american" F1 team coming some time soom...what ever happened to that? You know, i read some of their "ambitions" and to me it doesnt seem like they have a clue about what they are going to get into.

[Monstrobolaxa]

Well minardi might opte for a blackish car....because of lack of money....I remember that in 1998 Arrows didn't paint their cars due to lack of money...and they toke the cars to the races with the white decals on the cars.....it's much cheaper not to paint the cars........

But I've noticed that teams are cutting costs....at last weeks Eurpean GP....Panis monocoque wasn't painted fresh and I belielve that on of the Renaults wasn't painted fresh also.....you could notice it by the contrast of colours between the monocoque and the engine cover.....the paintings were at least 2 GPs old!