Palmer: “The stress level has been enormous this year”

Like his season at Renault (eight points in 16 events), Jolyon Palmer experienced his last Grand Prix for the diamond brand in a tumultuous way. Ranked 12th, more than one lap behind the winner Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the Briton seemed relieved at the end of the weekend.

“After this race, there was a two-week break, it was logical this time to leave the team”, recognizes Jolyon Palmer. “It’s a shame not to finish the season, because I’ve been part of the team for a long time, but I respect this decision. » The English pilot tried to save his place in the French team, without success, because Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso) will replace him at the next round in Austin (United States). “It was very clear, Carlos had signed for next season and Cyril (Abiteboul, the director of Renault F1) has never hidden his desire to place him at Renault this year. »

For Jolyon Palmer, the last few months have been very trying, spent having to justify his place in Formula 1. “The stress level has been enormous this year, it has been a very demanding exercise for various reasons. I can't say I'm not relieved that it's over. Every weekend I had to answer important questions, and the pressure grew more and more each time. The season didn’t go the way we hoped.”, he admits.

Now without a steering wheel, Jolyon Palmer certifies “to work on another project for (s)our future”. “I’m going to grow, there’s a lot to do. » As for his Sunday race, he believes he did his best despite his penalty for changing his engine. “Starting from 18th place, I think a 12th place finish is the best result that could be offered to us. Maybe I could have got a point, but I'm happy to have seen the checkered flag. »

Discover the analysis of the Japanese GP carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2135 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.