Panis Relieved after First Finish of 2002

Frenchman Olivier Panis admitted he was relieved to finally be able to finish a race this season, after seven failed attempts.

The British American Racing driver had been hit by several mechanical problems in the first seven races of the year, but on Sunday the veteran finally ended his negative streak with an eighth place finish for the Brackley-based squad.

Panis was pleased to finally see the chequered flag, although he admitted he would have preferred to finish in the top six to give his team their first points of the season.

"I'm relieved to finally finish a race after such a bad start to my season," said Panis. "It was very tough today but the car was reliable and I think we chose the right strategy for us. I was obviously running heavy at the start so I lost some places to some two-stoppers.

"It would have been nicer to get a point for the team but I'm pleased to see the progress we have made this weekend. I want to thank the team for the effort they put into this race. We know where we are with the new car now so we have to keep pushing and continue to improve so we can get both cars to the finish."