Renault Sport Formula One Team driver Jolyon Palmer’s Hungaroring practice running was restricted by a fuel pressure issue today (22 July) that limited him to a total of just 18 laps, but the young British F1 rookie set a respectable pace once he finally got out on-track.

The F1 field experienced a tricky start to proceedings at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with a damp surface greeting competitors in FP1. As the sun appeared, the circuit soon began to dry, but the fuel pressure problem ruled Jolyon out of the majority of the first session and much of the second, too.

Jolyon Palmer, #30, R.S.16-04

Free practice 1: P22, 1:28.560, 6 laps

Free practice 2: P19, 1:23.528, 12 laps

Jolyon said: “Obviously today was pretty far from ideal as we only got six laps on-track in the morning and then 12 in the afternoon, but I know the circuit and the car feels pretty decent, so it’s not the end of the world. I started my day hoping there would be no problems with the car and that the bad luck was behind me – but then we continued to have a recurring fuel issue, which was a bit of a pain. We haven’t learnt too much on my side of the garage today, but we seem to have got to the bottom of the fuel pressure trouble so that’s a definite positive from the hard work.”

Nick Chester, Renault Sport Formula One Team Technical Director added: “It was a fairly mixed day for us. Once dry, the track’s new surface proved faster than it was last year and it’s bound to get even quicker as it rubbers in throughout the weekend. Things were difficult for Jolyon, as he lost a lot of running time with fuel system problems. We did eventually fix it and ensured he had enough runs to gain a reasonable feel for the car on both tyres, ready for tomorrow. A fuel system issue tends to be difficult to trace because it has to be checked in the garage, but until the system is under full load on-track and drawing its full fuel rate, you can’t be certain that it’s fixed. We systematically changed components and cleared the problem.”

Jolyon will be back on-track at 11am local time (10am BST) tomorrow (Saturday), followed by qualifying at 2pm (1pm BST).