Pantano not impressive

[N I Tram]

Considering that he nearly won the 2002 F3000 title, and won the old German F3 title, I expected Pantano to do really well. But it doesn't seem to have happened for him so far - he's looked extremely ragged, sliding all over the track, much more so than Heidfeld. Is this all down to his lack of testing? Is he another driver who isn't suited by today's F1 cars? Or did his F3000 results flatter him?

[Adam43]

He is over driving at the moment. I don't think Jordan is a good place for the inexperienced at the moment. Add to this a team mate who is doing fantastically well in the circumstances and it looks bad for Pantano. He's up against it and is only doing alright IMHO.

Welcome to ten-tenths N I Tram

[fiona]

i wouldnt go as far as he hasnt been impressive as the jordan isnt the best car at the moment, i would say wait and see what his results are like over the course of a half season at least befre passing judgement on him,
i do believe that the lack of testing is a big part of it as the jordan doesnt seem to be the most easiest car to drive

[Raven]

I think Pantano has been the least impressive of the three rookies so far. It's a shame his ChampCar deal fell through as I think he does have a lot of talent but Jordan is not the best place for him to show it. Maybe when we get to Europe, on circuits he is more familiar with, he will settle down and get closer to Heidfeld, who IMO has been the unsung hero of the first 3 races.

[N I Tram]

Thanks Adam. I completely agree with everything you've said. Circumstances is a key word - once you put everything together, the second Jordan is not a good drive for a rookie (although better than the second Jaguar).

[Kicking-back]

Simple.

No testing.

But he's getting good experience.

[429CJ]

Of the two Italian rookies Gianmaria Bruni have done much better work.

[Ej10]

I disagree. I am well pleased with Pantano considering the circumstances. He has a couple of days testing before melborne and they were in the wet. He made good progress in Bahrain and the three day test in silverstone will help even further. He was up with Nicky for the first half of the race . give him time.

[minirda]

Originally posted by Ej10
I disagree. I am well pleased with Pantano considering the circumstances. He has a couple of days testing before melborne and they were in the wet. He made good progress in Bahrain and the three day test in silverstone will help even further. He was up with Nicky for the first half of the race . give him time.

Bruni seems the better and faster of the two. You can't disagree with that imo. Nevertheless Pantano in this stadium deserves the benefit of the doubt. He does much better than i'd expected. I hope he gets the time to improve himself.

[jetsetter]

It's hard being impressive in the Jordan at the moment so i wouldn't be too harsh on Pantano, i think driving for Jordan at the moment is a dead end drive & it's going to take a special driver to get them further up the field.

[Mekola]

At the moment, the gap between Pantano and Heidfeld is closer that it was between Firman and Fisichella, and Giorgio tried to close it more and more. We will wait until the first European races and see the results.

[Skam85]

IMO he's doing slightly better than Firman, although only slightly. He ran ahead of Heidfeld for most of the race before having an 'off'. No shunst yet though so that's a positive!

[Try Hard]

well i can ask him how he thinks hes doing next week if you like
Like i mentioned before, I'm going to be at the Jordan test session they have at Silverstone next week, hopefully if i get any spare time to chat with the drivers, I'd like a few interesting q's lined up...
Any ideas ppl?

[chunterer]

You could ask him what happened after the Williams test shoot out with Liuzzi and why neither of them got a regular run out?

Seriously Williams must have rated them both, but didn't really say much about how they got on? You could also ask him about the differences he's felt between Jordan and Williams (teams and cars)

Back to thread, he's done ok but i'm with everyone else really. The Jordan isn't gonna set the track on fire and against Heidfeld he hasn't exactly shone, but he is a charger in the Montoya mould i think and showed a bit of that last weekend. I do rate him however and am glad he got the drive. Heidfeld has the advantage of four years extra experience though, which as Sir Frank said after Scott Dixons test, is invaluable with these cars today. It's hard to just get in one and be on the pace with all the tech stuff etc..

Think Nick's gonna end up being the next Fizzi! ie, someone damn solid who provides a baseline on set ups and can be a decent yardstick for newer drivers, but who unfortunately isn't going to get the big chance that he derserves?

[BootsOntheSide]

You would logically expect Pantano to do much better than Firman though, considering his extra experience and more impressive CV. Bahrain was more promising for him, partly because no one knew the circuit so he wasn't at a disadvantage. He'll know most of the European ones, so maybe he can build on things. But he still looks edgy and nervous, and never seeems far off from a spin or crash.

[jet]

Does Pantano have a contract for the whole season or a race by race contract.Does anybody know.

[golem]

I don't know Chunt. If Toyota is looking for drivers (which is very possible considering the friction coming from Panis) then Heidfield may be in with a shot.
Ah, if only he could join Webber at Jag. I reckon that'd be a great driver contest.

Anyway, Let's give Pantano a little longer. With any luck, we'll see a rain battle. Rain can let the driver have more of a say. (But no downpours please. They're too much.)

[Kicking-back]

It's tougher than ever, this F1 malarkey, if you're written off after just three races and no testing.

[Dino IV]

In the first place Bridgestone should stop making up excuses for not wanting to supply Jordan with the wider front tires like the rest of their clients. Then see what Heidfeld does with a reasonably sorted out Jordan and then see where Pantano gets on tracks he knows well.

[chunterer]

Originally posted by Dino IV
In the first place Bridgestone should stop making up excuses for not wanting to supply Jordan with the wider front tires like the rest of their clients. Then see what Heidfeld does with a reasonably sorted out Jordan and then see where Pantano gets on tracks he knows well.

Excellent summary!

Also i reckon Pantano has something, saw awesome glimpses of it in 3000. I think he's another Italian hard charger (Zanardi mould)so he won't be pussyfooting about.

[Logrence]

I think we ought to give the poor wee chap a chance - saying he's not impressive is like saying Kylie's ugly when she's been swathed in bubble wrap - all about perspective.

[DriverT]

I think Pantano has still to get used to it, and to write him off after 3 races is just sheer folly. Just look at what great results Heidfeld is getting with his years of experience...