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Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
This really does smack of bias. Plenty of drivers have done aggressive blocking swerves in the past, not least a certain German (let's not go there....), and it has caused accidents.
To say that he was never quick is ridiculous though. Especially before the Canada accident he was frequently right up there in a Ligier. His pace at McLaren was equal to DC's, and at BAR he did enough to rattle Villeneuve.
On both occasions his contribution to the car's development was immense, which is one of the mainr easons Toyota went for him. Notice how mcuh Prost fell away in 1997 after he was injured (other than Austria, a track which suited Bridgestone immensely) and again when he was fired for 2000.
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I think some of Panis's success was due to the Bridgestone tyres he and a few others had for that 1997 season, and that isn't meant to take away from his obvious talent behind the wheel. Bridgestone announced to the F1 world that they'd be entering the sport in 1996, however their testing went so well in 1996 that they decided to enter the fray in 1997. I think they made the right choice.
No one rattles Villeneuve!
I completely agree with you about his car input and development skills both as a driver and test driver.
Tye