Team: BAR (2002)/Toyota (2003)
Nationality: French
| |  |
| | Panis |
|
STATS
|
Year
|
Rank
|
Wins
|
Poles
|
Podium
|
Best finish
|
|
2002
|
14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5th, Britian
|
|
Career
|
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
1st, Monaco
|
2002 Recap
The Good: Olivier Panis's work ethic, superb testing abilities and his calm and friendly demeanor made him a popular driver with the British
American Racing team that struggled with a uncompetitive car for more than half a season. At age 36, Panis was one of the oldest drivers in the field, but his experience and testing talent earned him a two-year contract with Toyota.
Season Highlight: Panis took fifth place while teammate Jacques Villeneuve finished fourth in the British Grand Prix to give BAR its best team finish of the season. Panis also stormed from 16th to sixth in the Italian Grand Prix.
The Bad: The 2002 BAR chassis was technically behind the times, and Honda admitted the engine it started the season with was not competitive. The team was in upheaval as new boss David Richards replaced Villeneuve's close friend Craig Pollock and began a (ultimately beneficial) restructuring program.
Season Lowlight: A slow and unreliable car, coupled with inter-team politics, made much of the season pretty low.
|  |
| Veteran Olivier Panis has joined Toyota for the 2003 season. |
Key Stat: Panis had seven straight retirements before finally finishing in the points.
2003 Outlook
What needs to be done: Panis has a whole new set of challenges ahead of him now that he's driving for Toyota as it enters its second season of F1. Toyota hired Panis for his car development skills, and he is going to have to shoulder a lot of the workload while new teammate Cristiano da Matta learns the ropes.
Prediction: Panis will have a much better season than he did in 2002, but his old BAR team is going to make a big step forward as well.
Your Take
Here are your thoughts on Panis' prospects for 2003. How will he cope in his first season with Toyota?
Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
