Prost in line for Mugen customer deal

[Gerard]

From Autosport:

Prost in line for Mugen customer deal.
Mugen to power Prost in 2001 as Peugeot replacement.

The Prost team has been tipped to use Mugen Honda power next year, following the withdrawal of current engine supplier Peugeot at the end of the season.

Mugen, the Honda-approved performance specialists, currently supply the Jordan team with engines developed from a Honda design. Jordan are set to receive full works-spec Honda power units along with BAR next year, which would free up a Mugen engine supply for another team: potentially Prost.

Prost used Mugen engines in 1997 on a customer basis, before securing the works Peugeot deal. Ironically, more than double the points were scored in one season with the Japanese firm than those scored in two subsequent seasons with Peugeot. Alain Prost is said to have already approached Mugen boss Hirotoshi Honda about a 2001 deal.

Honda have not officially announced that Jordan will receive works engines, or that a customer Mugen engine will become available next year, even though Mugen has a contract with Jordan to supply a second team as long as the engine is a year old.

Supplying Prost would not only ease the blow of Peugeot’s departure, but also help to alleviate the shortage of customer engines in F1, following the threat of Renault to end its Supertec operation after its recent acquisition of Benetton.

[AL Racing]

That might be a great deal for Prost, actually much better than the erlier rumoured Supertec deal. I remember when Ralf Schumacher jumped from Jordan Mugen into the Williams Supertec at the vintertesting in Suzuka and said that the Mugen-Honda engine was much better; more powerful and driveable. Maybe this may enable Jean to play with bigboys at the front again. (please!)

[fatbloke]

Do you seriously expect Jean Alesi to stil be in F1 next year ? I think the guy has had enough of all the bull****. He has a drive lined up in the ALMS atthe end of the year, and I expect him and Johnny to be comepting against each other in that series next year.

[Minardi fan]

Geez... all this talk of engines is making my head spin! So far the possibilities we have are:

Prost: Mercedes, Supertec, Honda
Jordan: Mugen, 'proper' Honda
Minardi: Supertec, Ferrari, ex-Peugeot
Arrows: Supertec, Renault

Its all sooooo complicated.

[fatbloke]

That's why it's called the silly season - it confuses silly people who listen to all the BS...

[AL Racing]

Yes fatbloke, I'm sure of it. He signed a two year contract last year with an option of two more. I think he honour his contract and on top of that I don't think Prost will let him go easy. He's driving the wheels of that car, can't think of a pilote except of Schuey getting that Prost running seventh in Monaco ahead of Barrichello/Ferrari who couldn't keep up.

I know this year has gone worse than his worst nightmare but it could only get better. And with a Mugen deal there's a bit of light in the tunnel...