The Abel Prize for mathematics was awarded Wednesday to France's Michel Talagrand, an expert on probability theory and functional analysis who says mathematics "gives you wings".

The former head of French scientific research institute CNRS, Talagrand, 72, was honoured for "groundbreaking contributions" that have "outstanding applications in mathematical physics and statistics," the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters said.

Talagrand, who did most of his research at Paris University's Mathematics Institute, is the fifth Frenchman to win the Abel Prize since it was first awarded in 2003.

He told AFP he was surprised to win the prestigious award.

"I would never have thought it possible, it was incredible to get the news," he said.

Talagrand said he had had "such fun" throughout his career working in a field "free from constraints", and that when it comes to mathematics, "the more you do it, the easier it gets."

Named after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829), the prize was created by Norway's government, partly in a bid to compensate for the lack of a Nobel prize in mathematics.

It comes with a 7.5-million-kroner ($705,000) cheque.

On his -- very elementary -- website, Talagrand says "mathematics gives you wings" and invites mathematicians to solve puzzles in exchange for financial rewards.

"Talagrand is an exceptional mathematician, and a formidable problem solver," said the chair of the Abel Prize committee, Helge Holden.

"He has made profound contributions to our understanding of random, and in particular, Gaussian, processes. His work has reshaped several areas of probability theory," he said.

Last year, the prize was won by Argentine-American Luis Caffarelli, an expert in "partial differential equations" which can explain phenomena ranging from how water flows to population growth.

Talagrand will receive his prize in Oslo on May 21.