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In a moving interview before the Belgian Grand Prix, the day after Hubert's death in an accident in F2, Prost also revealed that the Renault team had decided last night to agree on a 2020 program for the Renault junior driver.
Prost, who, as non-executive director of Renault, oversaw Hubert's recent progress, said the tragedy was particularly difficult to manage because of his team's proximity to the young child.
"It's a tough day for the racing community," he told F1 TV. "It was very sad and very difficult for us. As you know, he was a member of our Academy and it was a difficult day with family, friends and brother.
"I personally remember what we had in the 80s. We still think it can not happen anymore, but yes, it can happen. We know that racing is dangerous. In any case, a lot of sports are dangerous, and maybe racing is part of safety sports.
«You can see by bike [cycling] we had two young guys dead, and that always happens to young people. It's very difficult, but we can see that we are all together and that we need to improve things, improve again. But we love this sport, we love life. "
Hubert had made good progress since arriving at the Renault Academy full-time for this season, and an impressive F2 rookie season seems to have convinced the French automaker to retain him for 2020.
Prost explained, "I pushed him to the Academy, we talked very often. He was a nice boy, very intelligent, very intelligent, very curious.
"He did some F1 tests this year with us in Austria. We had a program already set since yesterday in F2 next year. We wanted to help maybe until F1, so it's very sad. There are no words. 22, it's way too young, I'm sure.
Cyril Abiteboul, General Manager of Renault F1, told Sky: "His talent is something special, he was developing. He did not come to crush the entire junior series, I will not go back on the story, but he was clearly climbing. That's truly impressive.
"The [GP3] Last year he gave him a new energy and what made him stand out was his hard work. He will be an example of what is possible with hard work. I do not think many people would have given him a chance to do what he was doing, only with raw talent. But the work, the commitment, the way he engaged with people, is an example. "
Abiteboul: right for F1
Anthoine Hubert tribute to the GP of Belgium
Photo by: Jack Benyon
The second F2 race of the weekend was canceled, but Sunday's race for Formula 3 continued and the Belgian GP will still be held.
Abiteboul said that he was marginal for the F3 race, given the age of the pilots involved, but added that the increased maturity of the F1 drivers means that they are more
"Robust" emotionally.
"It was good to cancel the race in F2," Abiteboul told Sky. "There was no way that Bruno [Michel, F2 boss] or Chase [Carey, F1 CEO] would perform this race.
"It was a close call in F3 because it's a youth. Really young. As for the F1 drivers, they have some form of maturity, our own drivers are in their thirties, they are a little more robust.
Abiteboul said its drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg, had both been affected by the accident, having canceled their Saturday night commitments while waiting for news.
He added: "We all want to get away from Spa, which does not mean we have to deal with this incident, because I think we want to think and not let ourselves go too fast.
"It will be strange to be racing, but that's why we also say we're going to run for Anthoine. We want that on our car because that's exactly what we're going to do. "
A minute of silence was observed early Sunday morning in the presence of Hubert's mother and brother.
Abiteboul said that Renault had tried to provide all possible support.
"We proposed some simple things," he said. "You like to change things, but you can not.
"You come with your humanity, your availability, your closeness to the family and friends who were in Spa and you make sure that everyone is united and has a united face, which is not always easy in F1 .
"[We have been] try to leave the little things of F1 behind and for once act like a real family. "
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