Mugen-affiliated driver Shinji Nakano made his debut with the Prost team in 1997 in return for an engine supply deal. He scored 2 points with 6th place finishes in Canada and Hungary. He was dropped by the team when they switched to Peugeot engines in 1998, and was picked up by the Minardi squad. He failed to score any points that year, and was dropped post-season.