Prost AP01

The Prost AP01 was the car with which the Prost Formula One team used to compete in the 1998 Formula One season. It was driven by Olivier Panis, who was in his fifth season with the team (including Ligier), and Jarno Trulli, who was in his first full season with the team after deputising for the injured Panis in 1997.

After the good results of the previous season, 1998 was a disaster for Prost. The car's main weakness was its gearbox: it was unreliable and heavy, which prevented the team from finishing races, upset the balance of the car and meant that the team could not optimise the position of its ballast, as many of its rivals could. The team also scraped into the season by a narrow margin after the chassis failed the mandatory FIA crash test three times.

With these problems allied with the relocation of the team's factory nearer Paris, the year turned into an exercise in damage limitation. Only one point was scored, at the chaotic 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, giving Prost 9th place in the Constructors' Championship. Only 8 cars finished the race with the two cars behind Trulli having spent so long in the pits being repaired their drivers were able to get out of the car for some time. In the final 6 laps Trulli lost an entire lap to the front runners with engine problems but still managed to finish.

The Prost AP01 being driven by Olivier Panis at the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix.

For the first few races, X-wings were used, but they were banned after the San Marino Grand Prix.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
1998	Prost	Peugeot V10	B		AUS	BRA	ARG	SMR	ESP	MON	CAN	FRA	GBR	AUT	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	LUX	JPN	1	9th
				Olivier Panis	9	Ret	15	11	16	Ret	Ret	11	Ret	Ret	15	12	DNS	Ret	12	11
				Jarno Trulli	Ret	Ret	11	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	12	Ret	6	13	Ret	12

References

AUTOCOURSE 1998-99, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1998) ISBN 1-874557-43-8

Prost Grand Prix

Founder Alain Prost Notable personnel Bernard Dudot Loïc Bigois John Barnard Drivers Olivier Panis Jarno Trulli Nick Heidfeld Jean Alesi Heinz-Harald Frentzen Gastón Mazzacane Luciano Burti Tomáš Enge Shinji Nakano Formula One cars JS45 AP01 AP02 AP03 AP04

Cars that competed in the 1998 Formula One season

McLaren MP4/13 Ferrari F300 Williams FW20 Jordan 198 Benetton B198 Sauber C17 Arrows A19 Stewart SF02 Prost AP01 Minardi M198 Tyrrell 026

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