RANK outsider Olivier Panis was the winner of the exciting lottery that was the 54th running of the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday. Panis's big break came when he pushed Eddie Irvine out of the way to take third place, which subsequently turned into the lead as first Damon Hill and then Jean Alesi succumbed to mechanical trouble.

Both Jordans were victims of the treacherously damp conditions which caught out all but four of the starters - Rubens Barrichello crashed on the first lap while Martin Brundle spun out shortly before half distance. Irvine had a thrilling race, holding third place for the first half until the shunt from Panis left him well down the order.

The surrounding mountain tops of the Grand Corniche ensure that there is plenty of rain in Monaco at this time of the year and the deluge two hours before the start only heightened the fear of the drivers who have their doubts about the track at the best of times: "It's absolutely lethal out there," said front row man Damon Hill after the wet acclimatisation session.

Pole position man Michael Schumacher was of a similar opinion but once the red lights dimmed the fear was forgotten and the racing started. Hill eased past the world champion as the Ferrari driver got too much wheelspin off the line. The British driver led up past Rosies bar and into Casino square and down past the Mirabeau hotel.

There the red Ferrari in his mirrors disappeared as Schumacher made a rare error and was pitched into the barriers with his left front wheel torn off. "I saw he was gone," said Damon and there was no one near me so settled down into a rhythm. The pit stop onto slicks went great and I had enough fuel to go to the finish. Then the oil pressure warning light came on and stayed on for a lap and then the engine blew. We're all very disappointed," he said as he headed back up to the Hermitage Hotel where his wife Georgie and their three children were staying.

That rare Renault engine failure passed the lead to Jean Alesi but as usual the Avignon driver suffered cruel luck when his rear suspension failed at three quarters distance.

Panis then took up the lead for Ligier and he went on to hold off a determined challenge by David Coulthard and score a historic first win. Panis's victory was the first for Ligier since the glory days with Jacques Laffite in 1981. It was also the first win for any team outside the "Big Four" in eight years.

Panis found it hard to take in what he had done in winning the most prestigious grand prix of all with a fine drive: "I am very happy for us all," he said. "The team have been working very hard and there has been a lot of chance. so this is nice.

Panis spoke of the incident with Irvine which was the key move of the race: "It is difficult to overtake. We had a crash - a little crash - but it was okay for me, Eddie is not very happy," said the 29-year-old who has spent his three seasons in Formula One with Ligier.

Ferrari had high hopes which. came to nought. Schumacher had one of the shortest races of his career: "I made a mistake," he said. "I am very sorry for the team and very angry with myself," he said before heading back up to his apartment.

Team manager Jean Todt reflected on the day: "It was a cruel day for Ferrari - either driver could have won. Michael made a mistake and that can happen to anyone."

Irvine had a race of seemingly endless drama. He held third place up to half distance when Panis spotted half a gap and rushed in: "As the track dried the racing line got wider. Panis tried a do-or-die manoeuvre," said Irvine. Contact was made but the Ligier driver escaped unscathed while Irvine was pushed off line. He stopped short of the barrier but the engine had stalled.

"The marshal pushed the car, so I undid my belts as the rules are clear that no outside assistance is allowed." In fact, he managed to jump-start the car on the hill down to Poitier but a mountain of time was spent in the pits redoing the belts which put him out of contention. With three laps to go he was seventh when he spun and stalled. Mika Salo and Mika Hakkinen then piled into the back of the Ferrari.

Both Jordans were among the 8 cars to retire and Eddie Jordan expressed his feelings afterwards: "That was a race I'd like to forget quickly. I'm very disappointed," he said. Monaco is the flagship event for Formula One and is especially important for Jordan because of their Peugeot and Total support.

Barrichello explained his race which lasted half a lap: "I had a great start. I overtook Coulthard and came up beside Berger. He closed the door and I had to back off, which allowed Irvine through, but I was still sixth. Then going up to Casino Square, I was hit from behind. I think possibly Coulthard or Frentzen.

Mumblings in the team about Brundle's position cannot have been helped by the weekend. The experienced Englishman qualified 10 places behind Barrichello in 16th and lost control just before half distance: "My car was difficult in the wet - very poor traction - but I held my position. The boys did a fantastic stop and that put me into fourth place, but unfortunately on my second lap on slicks I lost the back in the middle of Casino Square."