Panis retires, Montagny replaces him
Grandprix.com are reporting that Olivier Panis has retired from F1 and will be replaced at Toyota by Montagny.
Olivier Panis is retiring from Formula 1 after 12 years in the business and Toyota is to replace him and Ricardo Zonta with France’s Franck Montagny.
Panis was always an underrated driver I thought. He suffered from driving for a French team, first at Ligier, then at Prost. Sometimes I think drivers drive for “national” teams because it’s easier for them, and also out of misguided nationalism. What happens then is that the rest of the grid begins to get this nagging sense that the driver is only getting his drive because of the nationality of the team. Sato I think is falling into this trap.
What I most remember about Panis is his victory in Monaco in 1996. It wasn’t speed that won the race, but his excellence in maintaining his head whilst all around him lost theirs. You might remember the race as the one where only 4 cars finished in a virtual monsoon.
2 comments September 18th, 2006
