Alain Prost yesterday attacked Damon Hill for backing out of a deal to drive for his team in 1998 and questioned whether the Englishman had enough desire to drive for the Jordan-Honda team.
"I am not sure that he has the motivation to win another world championship," said Prost, who was speaking at the launch of his new Peugeot-engined AP01 at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.
"But I was disappointed at the time that he did not sign for us in Austria last summer. The deal was more than close. The paperwork was all done and ready to sign. I only heard two hours before that he was about to sign for Jordan. I don't think money was the problem; he just made the wrong decision."
Prost and Hill got on well when they drove together in the Williams-Renault team in 1993 and this relationship was why the Frenchman approached Hill to drive for his team this season.
However, Prost said that, on reflection, he was relieved that Hill had chosen to drive elsewhere, hinting that he found it difficult to deal with Hill's business advisors. "I don't feel I have any regrets, as I know I had to face someone else with Damon who I could not work with."
The Prost-Peugeots will be driven this year by the Frenchman Olivier Panis, who is now fully recovered after breaking both legs in Montreal last June, and Italy's former kart racing champion Jarno Trulli, who led last year's Austrian Grand Prix before retiring with engine failure.
Asked if he felt his team might have been "too French" for Hill's taste, Prost grinned mischievously and replied "maybe the other one will be too Irish for him".
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