With almost 150 Formula 1 races under his belt, Olivier Panis is without question one of the most experienced drivers on the F1 starting grid. As his first season with Panasonic Toyota Racing draws to a close, the 36-year-old Frenchman takes time to reflect on his family life, his hobbies, his career-to-date and why he believes there is much more to come with Toyota.


Olivier the Frenchman

Olivier Denis Panis was born in Lyon on 2 September 1966 to Monique and Philippe Panis. He has never succumbed to temptation and moved to another country, opting instead to stick to his French roots. He has a house in his home town of Grenoble, as well as a flat in the seaside resort of Bandol. In his spare time, going home to France is top of his list of priorities.

"As the only French driver in F1 this season, I am heartened by the support of the French fans. My feeling is very positive and it is important to perform well in front of your home crowd. This year's French GP in Magny-Cours was nice because, not only did I celebrate my ten years in Formula 1, but I also scored a championship point at home – a wonderful feeling."


Bandol - Situated in the heart of Provence

Renowned for its ready-to-wear shops, which are situated in front of the harbour. Several vineyards and domains of "appellation contrôlée"- labelled wine - where you can taste the product and visit the numerous cellars. A private island named Bendor faces the city

Other attractions include a casino, a yacht harbour, Le Castellet Medieval village – and more importantly for racing drivers, Circuit Paul Ricard – Panasonic Toyota Racing's designated "home" test track

"I have a flat in Bandol and it is very relaxing place to stay. I particularly like the medieval Le Castellet village, which is very picturesque and looks typically French. Although, I don't get much time off, we often test at Paul Ricard circuit just 15 minutes' drive away, so that is perfect for me. I come here a lot with my wife Anne and our three children. It is fabulous to be so close to the sea and I have a powerboat, which is fun. When I spend time with my family, this is where I prefer to come – it's so peaceful and it is nice to drive around the French countryside on a sunny day."

Olivier the Family Man

Olivier has been married to Anne since 1996, but has been together with her for almost 20 years since his teenage years. Together, they have three children: Aurélien (9), Caroline (5) and Laurène (1). He has a sister, Sophie, who is three years younger than him. Family is the single most important thing in Olivier's life. His father, Philippe, was also a racing driver and nowadays runs a karting school.

"Family is easily the most important thing in my life. Having my wife and kids gives me stability and every day I feel very lucky to have their support. Whenever I am feeling tired or need some time to relax, I can count on them to recharge my batteries. When I am not racing or testing, I spend as much time with them as possible."

Olivier the Sportsman

Olivier lists karting, skiing, cycling, tennis and sailing as some of his preferred pastimes. He owns a powerboat, which is kept in Bandol. He is quick to praise the skiing talents of his wife, but is somewhat frustrated that she has become better than him in the last few years. He has a customised fitness regime, overseen by the Panasonic Toyota Racing physiotherapist and doctor.

"I have my powerboat in Bandol, which is more for fun than for fitness, but I also like jet-skiing and other watersports. I work closely with the Toyota team physiotherapists to develop a strict fitness programme because it is very important for Cristiano and myself to keep at the peak physical form throughout the season, particularly over the winter when we are not racing. I enjoy cycling as well, as this is extremely good for the mind and mental concentration. During race weekends, I try to find the time for a game of tennis, something I enjoy very much."

Olivier the Companion

Olivier's best friend is a taxi driver, whom he has known for around 18 years. Alongside family, friends are very important to Olivier. In 10 years' of F1 driving, Olivier knows many people, but just a handful are close companions.


"It is ten years that I am in Formula 1 now and I have met many, many people and I have had quite a few team-mates. I have a good relationship with some drivers inside F1, but a couple I get on well with outside of the F1 circus as well, like Jacques Villeneuve and Jarno Trulli. As well as my family, I have some very close friends, with whom I like to spend time. I have two or three really good friends, which is important for me. My best friend is Mickael, a guy I have known for 16 or 17 years. It is good for my heart to be able to call him and talk about various things. He is very open and honest and I respect him as a person."

Olivier the Tester

Olivier is widely regarded as one of the best F1 testers, in particular for engine development. His ability to develop an F1 car is one of the reasons why Panasonic Toyota Racing selected him as a race driver. Toyota's home test track, Circuit Paul Ricard, is located just minutes' away from Olivier's flat in Bandol. He has completed in excess of 10,000 kilometres of testing for Panasonic Toyota Racing since November 2002.

"Formula 1 is constantly improving and testing is a vital key to this development. At Panasonic Toyota Racing, one of the things that impressed me most was the motivation to get better and better. We have a good car, a state-of-the-art factory and dedicated team members.

We work extremely closely together to slowly improve everything on the car, especially in testing. Toyota offered me a unique challenge to start with the team from an early stage and this is my big motivation – to really concentrate on developing the car with the team. Toyota has a bright future and my target is to win races and ultimately the championship with them."

Olivier the Racing Driver

Career at a glance:

1987 Won Volant Elf award Winfield Driving School Circuit Paul Ricard
1988 French Formula Renault: 4th (5 podiums)
1989 French Formula Renault: 1st (5 wins)
1990 French Formula 3: 4th (4 podiums)
1991 French Formula 3: 2nd (5 wins - most victories in season)
1992 International Formula 3000: 10th (2 podiums)
1993 International Formula 3000: 1st (3 wins)
1994 Formula 1 World Championship - Ligier-Renault: 11th (1 podium)
1995 Formula 1 World Championship - Ligier-Mugen-Honda: 8th (1 podium)
1996 Formula 1 World Championship - Ligier-Mugen-Honda: 9th (1 win)
1997 Formula 1 World Championship - Prost Mugen-Honda: 9th (2 podiums)
1998 Formula 1 World Championship - Prost-Peugeot: 18th
1999 Formula 1 World Championship - Prost-Peugeot: 15th
2000 Formula 1 Test and Development Driver - McLaren-Mercedes
2001 Formula 1 World Championship - BAR-Honda: 14th
2002 Formula 1 World Championship - BAR-Honda: 14th
2003 Formula 1 World Championship - Panasonic Toyota Racing

"Obviously, the highlight of my ten-year F1 career was when I won the Monaco Grand Prix in 1996, but I also had a highly competitive package in 1997. I had a couple of podium finishes early in the season and was 3rd in the drivers' championship by Canada when I had my unfortunate accident, in which I broke both my legs, but that was just one stage in my career. Now I am at another stage with Toyota and still love my job – unless you have driven an F1 car, you cannot appreciate the thrill of driving so fast. My best moment was fulfilling my childhood dream of winning at Monaco, but I am sure the best is still to come at Toyota."

A Fresh Challenge

"There are many positive aspects about Panasonic Toyota Racing, which is why I decided to begin a fresh challenge with the team. They have all the resources necessary to improve and become winners in Formula 1 and I am always impressed by the motivation of the team. We all know there is quite a way to go before we are winning races, but we will get there and sooner than many expect. We have all the pieces of the puzzle and we are slowly putting them together. The more experience we gain, the closer we get to completing the puzzle."

August 2002
Announced as Panasonic Toyota Racing driver for 2003 and 2004

November 2002
First test for the team at Barcelona circuit
Acquires the team's first ever P1 at a test session

January 2003
Gives Panasonic Toyota Racing's 2003 car, the TF103, its first run in front of 400 media at the official car launch at Circuit Paul Ricard in France

March 2003 - Australian Grand Prix
Olivier scores Toyota's best ever qualifying result, putting his TF103 5th on the grid for the season-opening race at Albert Park

March 2003 – Brazilian Grand Prix
Olivier sets the fastest time in pre-qualifying practice – Panasonic Toyota Racing's debut P1 during a race weekend

June 2003 – Canadian Grand Prix
Olivier opens his points account with a fine drive to 8th place and one world championship point

June 2003 – European Grand Prix
Olivier is fastest on Friday and Saturday morning and is rewarded with 7th on the grid

July 2003 – French Grand Prix
Olivier celebrates his 10 years in Formula 1 at his home race and excels around the Magny-Cours track. He qualifies in 10th – his 7th top 10 grid slot of the season to date and ends the race in 8th position to score his second championship point in three races

July 2003 – British Grand Prix
Panasonic Toyota Racing makes full use of a safety car period early in the race to briefly lead the British Grand Prix

August 2003 – German Grand Prix
Panasonic Toyota Racing picks up 7 world championship points as Olivier crosses the chequered flag in 5th place with team-mate Cristiano da Matta one place behind in 6th to score the team's best ever race result to date.


"Over the last ten years in Formula 1, I think the biggest change is the safety aspect of the sport. Of course, there is always an element of risk involved when you drive cars so fast, but the safety level now is very different to when I started in F1 in 1994. The new rules for 2003 have had a good effect on the overall spectacle of Formula 1 and I like the one-lap qualifying system – this has led to some interesting grids this season. Toyota is still a young team and we have a lot more to learn, but we are heading in a positive direction and I am pleased to be a part of it."


Fast Facts about Olivier Panis

Height is 1.73m
Weight is 72kg
He is the only French driver on the 2003 grid
He would put Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya in his fantasy F1 team
His favourite all-time track is Spa-Francorchamps
By end of 2003, he will have driven in 141 GPs
He owns a house in the Alpse