F1 driver suffers double leg break in frightening crash - On This Day

It is 29 years to the day since Olivier Panis arrived at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as one of the surprise packages of the 1997 Formula 1 season. 

However, his season would soon take a dramatic downward spiral as he left the track in an ambulance with both legs broken.

The Frenchman, driving for the newly rebranded Prost Grand Prix, had been in scintillating form. A podium in Brazil, second in Spain, and fourth in Monaco had propelled him to third in the drivers' championship after six rounds. 

A year on from his famous Monaco victory with Ligier, Panis was emerging as an unlikely title contender.

The Canadian Grand Prix itself was chaos from the outset. Jacques Villeneuve crashed into the wall at the final chicane on just the second lap, a barrier that would later earn the nickname "Wall of Champions." 

David Coulthard, in strong contention for victory, was undone by a clutch failure during his pit stop. Michael Schumacher led for Ferrari, but the race would never reach its scheduled 69-lap distance.

Around lap 51, Panis suffered a right-rear suspension failure, likely the consequence of earlier contact during the race. The broken wishbone effectively steered his car from the rear, sending him head-on into the tyre barrier at enormous speed. 

The impact tore the front of the car apart and fractured both of his legs. The race was red-flagged on lap 54, with Schumacher declared the winner.

Panis missed seven grands prix before returning later that season, but his momentum was gone. and he never won another F1 race.