FIA Formula Two Championship
What sport did Jolyon Palmer participate from 2009 to 2010?
Jolyon Palmer Jolyon Palmer ( born 20 January 1991 ) is a British motorsport commentator and columnist , covering the Formula One World Championship on BBC Radio 5 and the official F1 app . Prior to his media career , Palmer was a racing driver and the 2014 GP2 Series champion . Palmer drove for Renault Sport F1 Team in Formula One . He made his Formula One debut with the team at the start of the season , during which he scored his first World Championship points at the . Palmer stayed with Renault for through to the . Palmer , the son of former F1 driver and major UK race circuit owner Jonathan Palmer , was educated at Dorset House School , after which he attended Cranleigh School and the University of Nottingham ( from which he graduated with a bachelor degree in Management Studies in 2012 ) . He drove for the Lotus Formula One team as a test driver in 2015 , stepping up to a full-time race seat the following season when the team received manufacturer backing from Renault . After ending his driving career , Palmer became an F1 analyst for BBC and the F1 app alongside Jack Nicholls . He is a regular columnist on the BBC Sport website and is also a special contributor to the official F1 website , offering detailed analysis on racing incidents following each Grand Prix . Career . T Cars ( 2005–2007 ) . Having spent 2004 racing in MiniMax karts , Palmer moved up to cars in 2005 and specifically the T Cars championships Autumn Trophy – a racing series for drivers between the ages of 14 and 17 . Palmer finished fifth in that championship , with a grand total of 92 points , 46 behind championship winner Adrian Quaife-Hobbs . He moved up to the main championship in 2006 , earning one pole position and four podiums , and again finished fifth in the championship with 101 points , 69 behind champion Luciano Bacheta . Palmer also took part in a second Autumn Trophy , winning four of the six races . He took part in two races of the 2007 season , winning both but decided to concentrate on Formula Palmer Audi . Formula Palmer Audi ( 2007–2008 ) . In 2007 , Palmer moved to the series which his father , Jonathan , created nine years before . He finished 12th on debut at Silverstone , and his results gradually improved with him taking two wins ( one at Brands Hatch and one at Oulton Park ) and two pole positions at Brands , on his way to tenth in the championship . He missed the final two rounds of the championship , due to an abdominal injury suffered in a quad bike accident at his home in West Sussex , in which he nearly died as he lost a kidney , punctured a lung , suffered liver damage and lost a lot of blood . He recovered in time for the start of the 2008 season , in which he was a championship challenger right up until the last few races of the season . Palmer secured one win ( at the overseas race at Spa ) and 11 podiums along with three pole positions and ended up just 22 points behind Jason Moore , in third place . The Autumn Trophy and the FPA Shootout also brought third places for Palmer , taking three podiums from the six races . FIA Formula Two ( 2009–2010 ) . 2009 saw Palmer move up to the FIA Formula Two Championship , driving car number three . His best result was a sixth-place finish at Imola . He returned to the series in 2010 , winning the opening race of the season at Silverstone , taking the first F2 win by a British driver since his father did so at Mugello in . Palmer picked up one fifth-place finish in the next round at Marrakech , but bounced back to take both wins and the championship lead in the third round at Monza . He eventually finished 2nd behind fellow Briton Dean Stoneman . Palmer made a one-off return to F2 during the 2011 season at the Nürburgring , but was a non-starter in both races . GP2 Series ( 2011–2014 ) . 2011 season . Palmer made his GP2 Series main season debut in 2011 , driving for the Arden International team alongside Josef Král . He scored a top ten finish on his debut weekend at Abu Dhabi and more top ten finishes followed at Istanbul and Valencia . A move to the Barwa Addax team for the non-championship GP2 Finals saw a breakthrough on his return to Abu Dhabi , with third and fourth places to end his debut year in the category on a high . 2012 season . For the 2012 season , Palmer switched to the iSport International team , alongside Marcus Ericsson . Despite topping the first practice session of the year in Malaysia , persistent electrical problems blighted the early part of his season , precipitating a change of chassis . Results immediately improved and a sixth place at Monaco was followed by his maiden GP2 victory in the sprint race there . Next came a podium position at Silverstone , putting Palmer into the top ten of the leaderboard as the season entered its second half , although he ultimately slipped to 11th despite another podium finish at Monza . 2013 season . For the 2013 GP2 Series Palmer drove for Carlin , partnering Brazilian 2011 British F3 Champion Felipe Nasr . He scored his first win of the year in the Feature Race at the Hungaroring and took pole , fastest lap and the Feature Race win on the streets of Singapore , ending 13 seconds ahead of team-mate Nasr . Palmer qualified in the top three in each of the final three events and finished 7th overall in the points table . 2014 season . Palmer switched to DAMS for the 2014 GP2 Series and topped the opening day of pre-season testing at Abu Dhabi . He qualified on pole for the first race of the season in Bahrain and finished on the podium . He won the Sprint Race the following day to lead the championship , a lead he held for the rest of the year and added another win in the feature race at Monaco . At Hungary he prevailed in wheel-to-wheel contests with Felipe Nasr in both races , and tensions boiled over during the Sprint Race podium ceremony . At Monza , Palmer was forced to start at the back of the grid for the Feature Race , after his DAMS car was found to have less than the mandatory one litre of fuel remaining , having originally qualified fourth . Despite this , he finished eighth in the Feature Race , securing reverse grid pole for the Sprint Race , which he won to further extend his championship lead . Palmer clinched the championship at the first possible attempt , with a fourth win of the year at the new Sochi circuit in Russia . He won the title with three races to spare , and achieved an all-time points record in the series . Speaking just after clinching the title he said:It wasnt going to be easy to win the championship this weekend , especially today after missing out on pole yesterday . I cant thank the team enough , theyve done an incredible job all year , weve been fighting for pretty much every Feature Race win and every pole with almost no mistakes . It feels amazing to be champion The pressure is off us now and weve got another race tomorrow and another round at Abu Dhabi . We can go out now , enjoy it and have some fun Looking through the list of previous GP2 Champions , theyre all unbelievable drivers , and to be on that list is something which cant be taken away from me , its an incredible feeling . On 19 November it was announced that Palmer would drive for the Sahara Force India F1 team at the Abu Dhabi post-season test on 25 November . Formula One . Force India ( 2014 ) . Palmer test drove a Force India car at the end of season test at Abu Dhabis Yas Marina Circuit on 25 November 2014 . Lotus ( 2015 ) . On 20 January 2015 it was announced that Palmer had signed as test and reserve driver for the Lotus F1 Formula One team for 2015 . With 2010 GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado and 2011 GP2 champion Romain Grosjean as their official drivers . Palmer made his debut in the teams 2015 challenger , the E23 Hybrid , on day two of the official pre-season test in Barcelona . Completing 77 laps , he ran a programme focused on data gathering and development work . He finished the day in eighth place . Lotus F1 Teams Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane said : Today was about data accumulation and Jolyon did a great job in his first time in the car , especially with the particularly cold conditions to start the session in the morning . He went on to make his Formula One debut on a Grand Prix weekend as he took to the track in Free Practice One at the third round of the 2015 season in China . Palmer completed a packed schedule of aerodynamic and set-up work to finish in 15th place overall on his first visit to the Shanghai circuit . In his next outing at the Bahrain International Circuit , Palmer ended the session in 14th position , 0.441s shy of teammate Pastor Maldonado . He drove in Free Practice One at the Spanish Grand Prix , recording the 13th fastest time and finishing ahead of Maldonado , before topping the timesheets on the second day of the in-season test in Barcelona on Wednesday 13 May . On 11 June 2015 it was announced that he would drive in Free Practice 1 for the rest of the European season , a total of 5 Grands Prix , which would take him from Austria to Italy , replacing Frenchman Romain Grosjean . He continued in FP1 in both Austria and Britain , his home Grand Prix , to finish in 14th position before suffering from limited running in Hungary . Palmer tested a new front-wing for Lotus F1 Team in the next Free Practice One session at Spa-Francorchamps , as Romain Grosjean came home third in the Belgian Grand Prix that weekend . Palmer took part in several further sessions , his final appearance in the Lotus E23 coming at the Abu Dhabi season closer , where technical issues limited him to just 10 minutes running . Renault ( 2016–2017 ) . - 2016 On 23 October 2015 it was announced that Palmer would be promoted to full Race Driver for the Renault Sport F1 Team in 2016 , and became first driver from FIA Formula Two Championship alumni to progress to the Formula One team . He was joined by ex-McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen for Renaults return to the sport as a constructor , having bought the Lotus F1 Team over the winter . At his debut event in the Australian Grand Prix Palmer outqualified Magnussen to the 14th grid position , and after a good start finished the race 11th ahead of his teammate , just outside the point scoring positions . - 2017 Palmer remained with Renault Sport F1 Team for the start of the 2017 F1 season , where he was accompanied by a new team-mate in Nico Hülkenberg , replacing the departing Kevin Magnussen . Renault unveiled its brand new R.S.17 at a special launch event in London on 22 January , in a yellow and black livery , adorned with Jolyons signature race number , 30 . Palmer made his first public appearance behind the wheel of the R.S.17 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain in late February , ending the week with the third fastest time on the final day , behind only the Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen . On the day after he learned that he would be losing his seat for 2018 , he survived a race of attrition at the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix to gain a career best finish of sixth , securing his first points of the season . On 7 October 2017 , it was announced that Palmer would leave Renault after the end of the Japanese Grand Prix , to be replaced by Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz Jr. , taking his seat from the United States Grand Prix onwards . Media career after Formula One ( 2018 ) . On 22 February 2018 , it was announced that Palmer would complete the BBC Radio 5s Formula One staff alongside Jack Nicholls and Jennie Gow , as an expert . Jolyon has earned considerable praise for his knowledge and delivery , offering strong opinions and a unique insight into modern Formula One . Palmer offers further insight and analysis from the point of view of the competitor with his regular post-Grand Prix column on the BBC website . He is also a Special Contributor to www.formula1.com , analysing racing incidents using all available camera angles . Palmer has appeared as a guest presenter alongside Will Buxton on F1 Live , Liberty Medias post-race paddock show that is available free across the world on social media . Palmer has also written for Sky Sports F1 , with a GP2 Diary posted after each event during his time in the series . He was the regular co-commentator for the GP2 Series on Sky Sports F1 in 2015 , and previously commentated alongside future BBC partner Jack Nicholls on the FIA Formula Two Championship . It was revealed in February 2020 that Palmer would provide expert analysis on the pre-season testing in Barcelona , ahead of the 2020 F1 season . Other racing activities . Following his GP2 success , Palmer was invited to take part in the 2014 Race of Champions held at the Bushy Park circuit in Barbados . Palmer competed in the Race of Champions Nations Cup event for Team Young Stars , with DTM race-winner Pascal Wehrlein as his team-mate . The pair narrowly missed out on progressing from the group stages , with Palmer losing in close races to Robby Gordon and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen but defeating European F3 Champion Esteban Ocon . In the actual Race of Champions event , Palmer lost to Tom Kristensen , Pascal Wehrlein and Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay . Palmer returned to compete in the 2015 Race of Champions on home soil at the Olympic Stadium in London as part of the Young Stars pairing , once again racing alongside Pascal Wehrlein . The duo were beaten in the quarter finals by Englands touring car drivers Andy Priaulx and Jason Plato , before Palmer was edged out by GT racer Alex Buncombe in the individual competition . Awards . On 4 December 2014 , Palmer was announced as the winner of the Guild of Motoring Writers Driver of the Year Award at a prize gala in London . Each year , the trophy is awarded to the leading driver as chosen by a panel of leading motorsport journalists . Previous winners have included Juan Manuel Fangio , Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher . Palmer was nominated for the Autosport Awards British Competition Driver of the Year in 2014 , losing out to Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton . He collected the British Racing Drivers Clubs Fairfield Trophy in 2014 , which is awarded to a BRDC member for outstanding performance throughout the year . The ceremony was attended by Lewis Hamilton , 1996 World Champion Damon Hill and BRDC president Derek Warwick . Personal life . Palmer is the son of former F1 driver and major UK race circuit owner Jonathan Palmer . His younger brother , Will , won the 2015 British BRDC Formula 4 Championship and the prestigious 2015 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award . Palmer is a supporter of Ipswich Town F.C . and Crystal Palace F.C . Racing record . Complete Formula One results . – Was entered as third driver , but did not run due to bad weather .