Canada 1997:
with Murray Walker.
F1 RacingJuly 1997.

Great expectations can let you down very badly in F1. In the bubbling atmosphere of unrestrained enthusiasm on the Ile
Notre Dame as Canada's massed thousands anticipated a win for their national hero, it looked like being a great race. It was, until Olivier Panis lost it, but I have to admit that I thought it was Senna revisited when I was talking about the distressing scene on my monitor as Sid Watkins calmly worked on the Frenchman. I was outraged at the way Olivier's urgent gestures and shouts to leave him alone until a doctor arrived were ignored. I'm no medical man, and it's easy to criticise other people who were under very heavy pressure, but his removal could have made a nasty situation so much worse. Thank heavens it didn't.

For the second race in succession the scene was dominated by the Goodyear / Bridgestone tyre war and I'm sorry to say that I'm getting a bit fed up with it. I'm all for competition and yield to no-one in my admiration for Bridgestone's entry into F1, but the situation is now so complicated that it seems to be turning Grand Prix racing into something that ony dedicated anoraks can understand and enthuse about. I admit I've changed my mind, but I'd dearly love to see the simplicity of a single supplier again - with racing that is more about cars and drivers than tyre buffing and blisters.

Never mind: the season that many people thought was going to be another Williams benefit is turning out to be anything but. Jacques blew it on his home turf. Michael was mighty. David could have won. Johnny should have been second. Damon finished a race. Benetton are getting there. Welcome back unpredictability.

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