Monaco: Alain Prost, four times world champion and 'Professor' of Formula One, says radical new engine rules for 2014 will reward drivers who can add brainpower to the horsepower at their disposal.
The little Frenchman, now an ambassador for Renault F1, earned his nickname in the turbo era of the 1980s for his analytical skill, strategic acumen and knack of preserving the tyres and brakes.
The regulations will undergo the biggest upheaval in decades next year, with the old V8 engines disappearing to be replaced by a new 2.6-litre V6 turbocharged unit with energy recovery systems.
For Prost, who thrived on technological challenges in a career that saw classic battles with the late Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna, such change represents an opportunity to be embraced.
"It will be very interesting. You are going to see some drivers with different skills being more curious, closer to the engineers and technology," Prost told Reuters at the Monaco Grand Prix, a race he won four times with McLaren between 1984 and 1988.
"Maybe they could get this advantage or understanding better than the others.
"Because it is not only being more focused," he added. "When a driver says: 'Oh, I went to the factory and did that'...the most important thing is to understand what they do. And next year will be different."
Some drivers stand out by extracting the most from a less-than-perfect car, muscling through the problems with innate talent. Prost always stood out for working closely with the engineers, patiently 'dialling-in' the car to go faster.
TYRE COMPLAINTS
Tyres are a hot topic of conversation this year, with the Pirellis lasting only a handful of laps at some races and certain teams complaining that drivers can no longer race properly. Prost recognised it was different in his day.
"I don't know if I could do the same job," he recognised. "I don't think you can compare the tyres today to the tyres in my period.
"I was always in favour, even if you have only one manufacturer, to have more or less what we had in the 1980s - two or three choices of compound and then you do what you want. And no obligation to stop.
"You only start the race with the tyres you qualify with and that's it. Even if you want to put hard tyres on the left and soft on the right. And you do what you want."
Renault are fully committed to the new engine, with an annual budget of $150 million and a willingness to supply up to five teams next year from four at present.
The change opens up the possibility of one manufacturer having a big advantage if they come up with something innovative and Prost also welcomed that, even if the lack of testing made matters even tougher.
"It is going to be a challenge for the engineers making the engine for performance, reliability and everything, a big challenge for people working on the track, for the strategy and a big, big challenge for the drivers too," he said.
"We are going to talk about the fuel consumption in a positive way, showing the people outside that for the same type of performance we have between 30-40 percent less fuel consumption which is very important.
"The way you are going to use the engine, relative to the quantity of the fuel and relative to the extra energy you get from the electrical side, will be a great challenge for the drivers and engineers."
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