After 11 years, Olivier Panis has swapped the F1 paddock to be Toyota's test driver. He talks to Justin Hynes
Olivier Panis is wrecked. He ambles into a room high up in the Guinness Storehouse and apologises for being a little late. "The traffic," he shrugs, "it was bad."
Panis has spent 45 minutes crossing the city. He doesn't realise how lucky he was - that's some pace in rush hour. Then again, a week prior to last Sunday's French Grand Prix, making good time is stock in trade. As Toyota's F1 test and development driver, it's also his job.
"I did 125 laps yesterday," he smiles of his pre-Magny-Cours test at Jerez. "It was hot, really tough. This morning I think 60, something like that, now here."
It's his first time in Dublin but it hardly constitutes a visit at all. A blast in from the airport, three hours at a dinner for bigwigs from Toyota F1's computing solutions sponsor Intel and off again, back to the airport for the short flight across the water to Britain for the Goodwood Festival of Speed and then to France.
It's a punishing schedule, especially for a driver heading for what Panis suggests is semi-retirement. But that's the lot of a test driver these days. Panis enjoys it.
Last year he hung up his racing boots. After 11 years and four teams, he had had enough of the F1 paddock circus. He considered quitting the sport totally but was persuaded to take on his current role, developing the car, preparing Toyota's assault on the championship, grinding out the test miles.
"After 11 years I needed a private life. I have three kids and I knew Toyota would be my last team when I signed with them.
"The management of Toyota came to me and said 'Oliv, are you sure you want to retire' and they said they had a proposal and that's the job I have now which is better because I get to do what I like but without the extra pressure from the political stuff, the media stuff.
"When you do that stuff for so long you get tired. And I needed to be honest with myself and take the decision not to do that. I have to be honest all the time."
It was the second time Panis had opted out, choosing to step back from racing in 2000 and take a tester's role at McLaren.
"I'm lucky to have done that with McLaren. And to be honest it is a fabulous team. What I saw there, what I experienced, all the people I worked with . . . the support I got was fantastic. Nobody ever supported me like that.
"And you know, I think I changed the team's perception of the test driver - their mentality. Now the test driver is a lot more involved in the team. In the past the term 'test driver' never really meant a lot, but today, there's big respect."
He's content with that respect. "I have no real desire to go back racing, not in F1 anyway. I want to get back to racing again but in different things."
This is in stark contrast with former BAR team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, who clawed his way back into F1 after almost a year out and who insists he will stay, despite a torrid time at Sauber.
Panis is forceful in defence of the French-Canadian. "I know him quite well and I like him. I don't think Jacques is slow now. This, I don't believe. When you are a world champion, when you win races, you don't suddenly become slow one day.
"I think he has a lot of problems that affect his confidence in the car. For sure when you have a difficult car, it's not very easy, especially after you stop for a year. They say, 'oh Jacques is slow, he's not motivated enough' - for me, this is bullshit."
Panis' racing future lies elsewhere. "I'd like to try ice racing in France. Maybe I'll try to do that this winter with my friend, Alain Prost. It's just what I'm looking for - no pressure, just fun. I do need to race. It's in my blood."
At Toyota, Panis seems to have settled for a comfortable and graceful exit from the paddock. And Toyota feel about Panis the way he obviously feels for them.
In Magny Cours they showed their appreciation for his efforts by presenting the Frenchman with the car he raced last year - current market value, about €150,000. Whatever happened to a gold watch?