Olivier Panis: “if anyone deserved it, it was Gasly!”
Olivier Panis is no longer the last French winner in a Grand Prix. Passing the baton to his successor Pierre Gasly!
Gently teased by Julien Fébreau this Sunday on Canal+ as the Marie Myriam (note: the last French victory at the Eurovision Song Contest) of French Formula 1, Olivier Panis has finally handed over the torch to another French driver who won a Grand Prix.
For the record, this successor will be the Norman Pierre Gasly, winner this Sunday at Monza at the occasion of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
Invited by phone to our colleagues at RMC Sport, Olivier Panis reacted to the victory of his young compatriot. An emotion he knows so well, having won in somewhat similar circumstances, in a mid-field car, a Ligier, after a race full of twists and turns in Monaco… on May 19, 1996.
Olivier Panis was particularly moved by Pierre Gasly’s victory: « It’s magnificent. He’s someone I know, we often crossed paths at his beginnings in Formula Renault. I’m delighted: if there was one who deserved it, it was him! (editor’s note: Gasly) »
Still involved in motorsport as a manager, the former driver was at Nurburgring this Sunday for a GT race. He was nonetheless able to keep an experienced eye on the Grand Prix.
With these consequences on the hero of Monza 2020: « Of course it will change his life. Pierre deserves to have a seat in a very big team, to win new races and why not the drivers’ championship. »
« I am delighted: if there was one who deserved it, it was him! »
Olivier Panis also praised the coolness of the AlphaTauri driver, who notably broke Carlos Sainz’s slipstream with zigzags on the straight, at a good distance from the Spaniard. “The slightest little mistake was crucial, especially since Sainz wasn’t far at all,” recalled the driver from Lyon.
And his choice was clear: among the three French drivers on the grid, he wanted Gasly to be his successor. A young driver, 24 years old, born on February 7, 1996, just three months before his victory in Monaco!
« He’s a kid who’s really comfortable in his own skin. He truly went through tough times with Red Bull and Helmut Marko, who irritates me with his blunt and often unstructured remarks. Pierre is someone I relate to more than others. He did it. I’m delighted. If it can benefit French motorsport, it would be fantastic »
« He really went through hard times with Red Bull and Helmut Marko, who irritates me with his contradictory statements and not very sensible decisions. »
Now, Panis looks ahead. Despite this unexpected victory, Gasly must leave AlphaTauri for a larger team. But returning to Red Bull is out of the question!
I don’t think you should stay too long in the Red Bull program. He could go to Mercedes, absolutely. Hamilton will inevitably have a slowdown at some point. Pierre is a driver who has plenty to prove.
Hello Toto Wolff?
« He could just go to Mercedes. »
The first French @f1 winner since Olivier Panis won the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix! ????????
Bravo @PierreGASLY! ???? pic.twitter.com/sJ1dzQjIsN
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) September 6, 2020
