The story of Acer Engines in F1 is an image of desperation, lack of funding and pure fight for surivival in the world of motorsports. In 2001, the Prost Grand Prix Formula 1 team was in dire straits financially. Their previous engine supplier, Peugeot, had withdrawn its support at the end of the 2000 season after a fractious relationship. Prost needed a new engine supply to continue competing, but lacked the funds to secure a works deal or even a competitive customer supply.
Their savior came in the form of electronics company Acer, who agreed to sponsor the team for 2001. However, Acer did not have the capabilities to actually produce F1 engines. Instead, they struck a deal for Prost GP to use year-old Ferrari engines, rebadged as Acer Engines.
The Ferrari – aCER Engine Deal
The agreement saw Prost purchase Ferrari’s 049 V10 engines from the 2000 season. While no longer cutting edge technology, the hardy Italian power units represented Prost’s best option under the circumstances, and with limited budget. Prost paid around $18 million for the full works backage of engines, transmission, drivetrain components and technical support.
For Ferrari, the deal generated useful income from obsolete equipment. For Prost, the Acer engines represented survival, even if outright competitiveness was unlikely.
Compromises and Deficiencies
However, the rebadged Ferrari units were not without their flaws:
- Being a year old, the engine architecture was outdated compared to rival equipment.
- They were designed for Bridgestone tires, whereas Prost used Michelins, compromising mechanical grip.
- The driveability characteristics were unfamiliar to Prost engineers.
- Integration with the chassis was not optimal due to different design philosophies.
Still, the Acer 01A engines proved more reliable than the fragile Peugeot units used in 2000. But increased finishes did little to improve Prost’s overall competitiveness.
2001: A Struggle for Survival
Prost’s 2001 contender, the AP04, was thus saddled with an uncompetitive engine in a questionable chassis. Aerodynamicist Henri Durand attempted some innovative concepts, but the package was always going to struggle:
- The team lost major sponsors Gauloises, PlayStation and Yahoo over the winter.
- Driver choice was constrained by cost considerations.
- The car exhibited inherent imbalance due to incompatible components.
- Financial issues compromised development.
With a reported budget under $40 million including the Acer money, Prost was unable to engineer its way out of trouble or rectify flaws.
Muddling Through with Journeymen Drivers
Prost presenting a brave face with rapid driver Jean Alesi and Pay driver Gaston Mazzacane. But after retiring thrice and finishing 12th at the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, Mazzacane was replaced at Barcelona by Luciano Burti.
Alesi managed a handful of points scoring finishes, peaking with 5th in Canada. But that couldn’t disguise the AP04’s crappiness and the lack of speed coming from an Acer engine. Alesi subsequently fell out with team owner Alain Prost after the French Grand Prix and departed.
He was replaced by refugee Heinz-Harald Frentzen, sacked by Jordan, for the German GP. The German provided solid technical feedback and direction, earning credit for improving the recalcitrant AP04. But the car was always an unsatisfactory amalgamation of conflicting concepts.
Financial Collapse After Scoring Just 4 Points
Despite the rebadged Ferrari engines providing improved reliability, the shambolic Prost team could do no better than 9th in the 2001 Constructors’ Championship. Just 3 point scoring finishes told the story of a team in disarray.
Prost’s dire financial situation was laid bare at seasons end. The loss of sponsor Gauloises from 2000 had catalyzed the death spiral. Despite scoring the requisite top 10 championship finish needed for a share of F1’s commercial rights payments, unpaid creditors sent Prost GP into liquidation before the 2002 season.
The Acer Engine Attempt
The Acer engines represented Prost GP’s last throw of the dice. By rebadging obsolete Ferrari engines, the team gained reliability but not speed. Their 2001 car flattered to deceive in early testing. As the saying goes, “a drowning man will clutch at a straw”, and this describes the 2001 Prost Team in the best way possible. No team that wants to compete on the highest level would go for old and obsolete engines.
In race trim, neither handling balance nor driver pairings gelled sufficiently to rescue Prost from its economic woes. If anything, the Acer power units allowed the team to limp through a few more events before financial reality caught up.
While other customer Ferrari teams like Sauber enjoyed far greater success, even podiums, Prost was too disorganized to capitalize. Its dream of becoming France’s national team expired along with any notion that mere engine availability could offset deep rooted flaws. Luckily for the French people, Renault emerged with Fernando Alonso, to give hope and joy for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, before submerging again after the 2008 Singapore Crashgate.
The Acer 01A engines ushered both Prost GP and F1’s last French team into oblivion. Without major factory backing, the outfit was not viable. The rebadged units proved good enough for points, not resurrection. Prost’s rescue package was always damp squib that exploded by seasons end.