Jolyon Palmer is in confident mood heading into this weekend’s European Grand Prix in Baku (17-19 June), buoyed by a promising performance in Montreal three days ago that was unfortunately undone by a water leak.
Having only narrowly missed the Q2 cut in qualifying, Jolyon had advanced to 14th position in the Canadian Grand Prix when he was forced out of contention on lap 20. The young British F1 rookie took heart, however, from the Renault Sport Formula One Team’s more competitive showing and is optimistic that the R.S.16’s improved form will carry over into Baku.
The Azerbaijani capital is a new addition to the calendar in 2016, and the challenging street circuit will represent a level playing field for the sport’s 22 protagonists, all of whom will be discovering it for the first time. In what are expected to be much hotter conditions than at recent race weekends, Jolyon is hopeful of maintaining his upward momentum.
“As it’s a brand new track, we don’t have it on the simulator, so I’ve done a few laps on the F1 game to have a little look in advance!” the 25-year-old Southwater racer and former GP2 Series Champion revealed. “My engineers have done their homework, but the first real impression will be made when we’re doing the track walk then getting laps on the Friday to learn the circuit. It’ll be the same for everyone.
“I think it looks a cool track; there’s some high-speed sections – especially for a street circuit – and overtaking is a possibility. The crazy middle sector appears difficult and tight with its undulations – and any mistakes on a street circuit tend to mean you’re into the wall, so you have to be alert.
“Heat could play a factor, and you do notice it in the car. We’ve not really had a very hot race yet this year as Bahrain was under the lights and therefore cooler. On a street circuit it’s hotter anyway because you’re more sheltered, so it’ll be tough racing for the cars and the drivers.
“Anyway, after the weather in Canada, I’m looking forward to some heat! We made a step forward with the car in Montreal, but some better luck and finishes would be good. I’m happy with the progress being made for the rest of the season, the team is pushing hard, we’re finding stuff on the car and the new engine is working well. There’s a little pain now, but I’m sure we’ll be looking better for going through it.”