Olivier Bows Out
Thursday October 28th, 1999
Another driver set to leave the world of Formula One after the Japanese GP on Sunday is Olivier Panis.
Perhaps one of the brightest stars to hit the F1 scene in recent years, Panis won the Monaco Grand Prix for Ligier in 1996. Often regarded as inconsistent, Olivier's career was hampered by a nasty accident in Canada in 1997 where he shattered his legs. When he returned, doctors warned that another accident while driving with the corrective steel plate in his leg would see him lose his leg, a fact which many believe left Panis without the edge he displayed in his early career.
Olivier stayed loyal to Ligier, which later became Prost, throughout his F1 career, another failing some observers saw in his plan. In Olivier Panis, Formula One loses another significant talent as the 1999 season draws to a close. The Frenchman will remain involved in F1 as a McLaren-Mercedes test driver though, with racing duties for the German company in Touring Cars next season, so it isn't impossible that this GP winner could find his way back into Formula One, should the correct opportunity arise.