After a frustrating Australian Grand Prix, Jolyon Palmer is aiming for more laps and a better vibe in Shanghai.

What’s the plan for China?

It’s a clean slate approach for me, as Australia was a bit of a shocker. Fortunately, the team was able to find the particular gremlin that affected me over the weekend, so I’m heading to Shanghai as if it’s my first race of the season. Nico [Hülkenberg] has shown the race potential, so let’s get out there and make points happen.

What do you need?

More time in the car is all that’s needed to lead to a much better weekend. It’s as simple as that. Albert Park was a really frustrating start to the season, so I’m looking to get more laps on the board and make more progress in the race. Obviously, there were many factors out of my hands in Australia, so the team has checked over the car very carefully to ensure we don’t see a repeat of any of the same issues. From my side, I’ll be avoiding the walls very keenly too!

What are your thoughts on the Shanghai International Circuit?

It’s a track made up of a long first corner, some fast corners in the middle sector and then a super-long back straight. To put a perfect lap together is not easy as there are a lot of different sections. We’ve seen some good races there in the past, and degradation has historically been high – especially on the front-left because of the long right-hand corners – so it will be interesting to see how the latest rubber fares.

Are you looking forward to driving the R.S.17 around there?

We should really get a keen appreciation of the downforce. In the first corner, we should be able to attack with a lot more speed – and the entry to it should be pretty fruity. The middle section should also put a smile on our faces. Every track we visit this year will be exploring new limits, and China should be a great example of this.

Other than the racing, what else do you look forward to in Shanghai?

There are very passionate fans in China, so I’m looking forward to returning and meeting them again.