It's Almost a Relief for Me, Says Prost

Alain Prost's Formula One team were declared bankrupt on Monday in what the former champion said was a failure for France, but the Frenchman revealed that he was almost relieved that it was all over.

"It's not a real surprise and I don't consider the decision as a sanction," said Prost, who heard the Versailles commercial court formally pronounce the liquidation of his team with estimated debts of $28 million.

"This decision marks a failure and I must accept it but my first thoughts go to the team. We had built a real team, the best I think, but we did not have enough (financial) means," said the four times champion who bought the team from Ligier in 1997.

Prost had hoped to turn it into a fully French outfit with a French staff, a French chassis, a French engine and a French driver. The lack of results and the resulting lack of resources broke his dream.

Lynched

French sponsors were the last to leave Prost on his own and he said it was what he deplored most of all.

"I received so many blows for months and years that it's almost a relief for me," he said. "I was...lynched in the last couple of weeks and I see it as a total failure for France. Until the very end, we did everything we could but we did not have any contact with a French investor," said Prost, who claimed the team's debts only amounted to 110 million francs ($11 million), far less than reported.

"It is nothing in the world of Formula One," he said. Lawyer Franck Michel, the team's receiver since Prost Grand Prix were placed into receivership in November, said they had received three serious offers since then, but none had been conclusive.

"We explored every solution but we were not in a position to give all the guarantees required. The court could not make any other verdict," he said.

Forget About Me

The opening race of the 2002 World Championship takes place in Melbourne on March 3 but Formula One will again have 11 teams since Toyota will be making their Grand Prix debut.

Last season, with a Ferrari engine, Prost finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship with a meager four points. The announcement of Prost's bankruptcy came the day after French carmaker Renault trumpeted their return to Formula One.

Asked about his future, Prost said: "I will bounce back. But for the time being I only want to think about the team and the staff. So please forget about me."