Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Jolyon Palmer took the chequered flag 13th in today’s Pirelli Belgian Grand Prix (27 August).
After a promising start to the weekend, Jolyon had a gearbox issue in qualifying which required a replacement and resulted in a five-place grid penalty. The Brit started the race from 14th – due to another competitor also having a grid penalty – and gained one position to finish 13th.
Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.17-03: Started P14; Finished P13
Jolyon said: “I think the race could have gone better; we knew that taking a penalty would mean starting on used tyres with everyone around me on fresh sets, and that was always going to put us on the back foot. Despite that, I had a decent start and the car was much better once we changed tyres.
“It was just a case of being stuck in traffic for much of the race. I had some good fights, though – they were fun – but it’s a shame not to have anything to show for it. Had we started seventh, points would definitely have been achievable today.”
Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport Formula One Team Managing Director, added: "Jolyon’s results were disappointing for him and for the team. The five-place grid penalty and the results today do not reflect his strong start to the weekend. We will investigate further to see what happened with the difference in pace from Saturday to Sunday.”
“I had some good fights, but it’s a shame not to have anything to show for it. Had we started seventh, points would definitely have been achievable today.” Jolyon Palmer, Renault Sport Formula One Team Driver