Olivier Panis Q&A

"Yes, I'm very pleased about this. Now I just have to continue for 100 more! I have say thank you to the team for thinking about it and making a present for me after a not very good qualifying."



"Well, it's Monaco, but also the '97 season, when I started with a really good package, and before my accident I was third in the championship. I have a very good memory about this. Now I'm happy with this year also, but for sure Monaco was the best one."



"I think the French people are very excited now, because I have a good car and we have a good team. I think this year there will be more flags than the year before! But to be honest it's just another race for me. I like the French people, I like to race in France, and I like Magny-Cours as a circuit, but I need to make the best result everywhere. We need to work hard to have the best possible car."



"I won't bring a lot of friends; I'll be going to Magny-Cours quite alone, because we have a lot of pressure there, and I need to concentrate. But I have a fan club there, with a lot of people, and that's quite a lot of fun."



"Over the years I've had some good qualifying positions there. In 1999 I was third on the grid, but I've never finished the race in a very good way, and I would like to do so for the first time this year. I tested there a lot with Ligier and Prost, and also last year with McLaren, so I know the circuit very well. But you also need to have a good car, and I think this year we have a good baseline. We have a car with which we can always fight for the points, and sometimes for the podium."



"Overall Magny-Cours is a really good circuit, and very challenging. You have fast high-speed corners, and the track is very smooth and very flat. No other circuit is as smooth! You have a special set-up, because the car is very low, and it's good fun. It's not easy to pass, so qualifying is very important. We have a good launch control system, so that will help."



"Because I know the circuit very well I have a good feeling about the set-up. In Magny-Cours you need a car that has a good set-up mechanically, and a good package aerodynamically. It's a compromise. At the moment we have quite a good one, and I'm quite positive for Magny-Cours. We tested there a few weeks ago, and the car was good."



"Magny-Cours is the middle of France, but it's also the middle of nowhere! It's a good place when the weather is really good, but I tested there sometimes during the winter, and it's very difficult. If you don't like to play golf or run in the forest, there's nothing to do..."