View source for Prost JS45

{{Short description|Formula One racing car}}
{{Infobox racing car
| Car_name = Prost JS45
| Image = [[File:Prost Mugen Honda JS45.jpg|250px]]
|Caption=The JS45 on display at the [[Cité de l'Automobile|Musée National de l’Automobile]]
| Category = [[Formula One]]
| Constructor = [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]]
| Designer = [[Loïc Bigois]] (Engineering Director)<br />Claude Delbet (Chief Designer)<br /> Damien Py (Chief Engineer)
| Predecessor = [[Ligier JS43]]
| Successor = [[Prost AP01|AP01]]
| Team = [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] [[Gauloises Blondes]]
| Drivers = 14. {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Olivier Panis]]<br>14. {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Jarno Trulli]]<br>15. {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Shinji Nakano]]
| Chassis = carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
| Front suspension = double wishbones, pushrod, twin or triple damper
| Rear suspension = double wishbones, pushrod, twin damper
| Engine name = ''[[Mugen-Honda]] MF301HA'' & ''MF301HB'' 3.0-litre 72-degree [[V10 engine|V10]]
| Power = 710 hp @ 13,900 rpm<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/moteur-mugen-honda.aspx|title=Engine Mugen Honda|website=www.statsf1.com|access-date=26 November 2020}}</ref>
| Gearbox name = [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] six-speed transverse sequential semi-automatic
| Fuel = [[Elf Aquitaine|Elf]]
| Tyres = [[Bridgestone]]
| Debut = [[1997 Australian Grand Prix]]
|Last_event=[[1997 European Grand Prix]]
| Races = 17
| Wins = 0
| Cons_champ = 0
| Drivers_champ = 0
| Poles = 0
| Fastest_laps = 0
| Podiums = 2
}}

The '''Prost JS45''' was the [[Formula One]] racing car constructed by [[Équipe Ligier|Ligier]] with which the [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] team competed in the [[1997 Formula One World Championship]], and the first Prost-badged car following [[Alain Prost]]'s acquisition of [[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]] in February 1997.

==Development==
The acquisition of Ligier from [[Flavio Briatore]] by Prost, and its subsequent renaming after him, marked the end of the Ligier name in F1 after involvement in the sport since {{F1|1976}}. However, the car had been designed and built beforehand, and so retained its Ligier designation of JS45. Also retained were [[Mugen Honda]] engines and [[Gauloises]] sponsorship, though the team opted for [[Bridgestone]] tyres in the Japanese's company's first year of F1.

==Race history==
Prost's lead driver was [[Olivier Panis]], who had driven for Ligier since 1994, while the second seat was taken by Japanese rookie [[Shinji Nakano]], largely due to pressure from engine suppliers Mugen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/nakano/biography.html |title=Shinji Nakano - Biography |accessdate=2012-11-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321222825/http://f1rejects.com/drivers/nakano/biography.html |archivedate=2013-03-21 }}</ref>

In the first six races of the season, the JS45 proved extremely promising. The problems of braking and pitch sensitivity with the previous year's [[Ligier JS43]] had been largely solved, and this, allied with Panis' skill and the durability of the Bridgestones, enabled the French driver to finish fifth in [[1997 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]], third in [[1997 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]], fourth in [[1997 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] and then second in [[1997 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]], just six seconds behind eventual World Champion [[Jacques Villeneuve]]. These results put him third in the Drivers' Championship, and after the Spanish Grand Prix 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 [[1997 Canadian Grand Prix|very next race in Canada]], breaking both his legs and putting him out of action for the next seven Grands Prix. Nonetheless, the car remained competitive due to Panis' replacement [[Jarno Trulli]], who had been recruited from [[Minardi]]. Trulli finished fourth in [[1997 German Grand Prix|Germany]] before leading the first half of the [[1997 Austrian Grand Prix|Austrian Grand Prix]] after qualifying third, and these achievements impressed Prost enough for him to sign the Italian full-time for {{F1|1998}}. Panis returned for the final three races of the season and picked up one final point for sixth in his first race back, at the [[1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix|Nürburgring]].

The inexperienced Nakano, meanwhile, proved solid if not spectacular, scoring two points for sixth places at Canada (after the race was stopped following Panis' crash) and [[1997 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungary]]. However, he did not retain his seat for 1998, as Panis stayed on alongside Trulli and the team took on [[Peugeot]] engines, swapping with [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]].

At the end of the season, Panis was tenth in the Drivers' Championship with 16 points, while Trulli was 16th with his three points from Germany and Nakano was 19th with his two (though all three were later promoted a place following [[Michael Schumacher]]'s exclusion from the standings). With a total of 21 points, Prost placed sixth in the Constructors' Championship.

Prost used 'Gauloises' logos, except at the French, British and German Grands Prix.

{{Clear}}

==Complete Formula One results==
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (results in '''bold''' indicate pole position) 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
! Year
! Team
! Engine
! Tyres
! Drivers
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! Points
! WCC
|-
| rowspan="4"| {{F1|1997}}
| rowspan="4"| [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] [[Gauloises Blondes]]
| rowspan="4"| [[Mugen Honda]] [[V10 engine|V10]]
| rowspan="4"| {{Bridgestone}}
|
| [[1997 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]
| [[1997 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
| [[1997 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
| [[1997 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]
| [[1997 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1997 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]
| [[1997 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]
| [[1997 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1997 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1997 German Grand Prix|GER]]
| [[1997 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]
| [[1997 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1997 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| [[1997 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]
| [[1997 Luxembourg Grand Prix|LUX]]
| [[1997 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]] 
| [[1997 European Grand Prix|EUR]]
| rowspan="4"|'''21'''
| rowspan="4"|'''6th'''
|-
| [[Olivier Panis]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 8
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 11
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 6
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 7
|-
| [[Jarno Trulli]]
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 10
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 8
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 7
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 15
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 10
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
| 
| 
| 
|-
| [[Shinji Nakano]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 7
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 14
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 6
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 11
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 7
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 6
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 11
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| Ret
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 10
|}

==References==
*''[[AUTOCOURSE]] 1997-98'', [[Alan Henry|Henry, Alan]] (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1997) {{ISBN|1-874557-47-0}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Prost Grand Prix}}
{{F1 cars 1997}}

[[Category:Prost Formula One cars]]
[[Category:1997 Formula One season cars]]