F1, Monaco GP: Olivier Panis remembers his triumph and is clear on Kimi Antonelli

This weekend sees the Monaco GP, surely the most eagerly awaited stage of the F1 World Championship. It starts again with Kimi Antonelli leading the drivers’ standings and with a strong desire to continue winning. Monte Carlo is the street circuit par excellence, a lot of concentration is needed. Olivier Panis, who in 1996 won what was the craziest edition in the history of the Monte Carlo GP, knows this well.

“For sure it was a very difficult race. We had to stop before the start of the race. The conditions were very bad, there was a lot of water. I tried to do my best. We started in 22 and finished in three, also because, in the last lap, 4/5 drivers went off the track. It was very difficult not to make mistakes, but it was my day and that’s how I won the race,” his words to Mongrip who, for the occasion, made the X Monaco Gran Prix Signature Limited Edition line.

The former French driver is clear about the differences between his F1 and today’s: “It’s not easy to compare the single-seaters of my time with those of today. Back then it was pure racing. The race was like a two-hour qualifying and we loved that. The cars weighed a lot and the performance was incredible. 2004 was the craziest year as single-seater performance.”

No doubts, however, about the qualities of Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes star: “Can he win the World Championship? It’s hard to say no. What he has accomplished to date is incredible. At 18 or 19 years old, he is very fast, he is very talented, at this moment he is the best. I believe he can become World Champion,” Olivier Panis’s closing remark to Mongrip.