Prost JS45

The Prost JS45 was the car with which the Prost Formula One team used to compete in the 1997 Formula One season. It was initially driven by Olivier Panis, who continued from the team's previous incarnation as Ligier, and Japanese rookie Shinji Nakano, who was given the second seat largely due to pressure on new team owner Alain Prost from engine supplier Mugen Honda.

During the off-season, the Ligier team had been bought from Flavio Briatore by Prost, who renamed the team after him. This marked the end of the Ligier name in F1 after involvement in the sport since 1976. However, lead driver Panis remained with the team, as did the Mugen engines. The car had been designed and built before Prost's acquisition of the team, so retained its Ligier designation of JS45. However, the team was one of several who opted for Bridgestone tyres in the Japanese's company's first year of F1.

In the early stages of the season, the car proved extremely promising. The problems of braking and pitch sensitivity with the 1996 Ligier had been largely solved, and this, allied with Panis' skill and the durability of the Bridgestones, took Prost to two podium finishes in the first six race. After the 1997 Spanish Grand Prix, Championship leader Villeneuve said that he regarded Panis as one of his main threats for the rest of the season.

However, a suspected suspension failure or puncture caused Panis to crash heavily into a concrete wall at the very next race, breaking both legs and removing him from the next seven Grands Prix. In the meantime, Jarno Trulli was recruited from Minardi and proved impressive enough to be signed full-time for 1998. Trulli's high spot came in the 1997 Austrian Grand Prix, where he led most of the race before retiring with an engine failure. The inexperienced Nakano also scored a couple of points, but Panis' return to racing at the Nürburgring ensured that the Japanese would not retain his seat for the following season, as the team would swap engine suppliers with Jordan to ensure an all French team of Prost-Peugeot.

The team eventually finished sixth in the Constructors' Championship, with 21 points.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

References

• AUTOCOURSE 1997-98, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1997) ISBN 1-874557-47-0