page_title: Jolyon Palmer
section_title: Renault (2016–2017)
hierarchical_section_title: Jolyon Palmer / Career / Formula One / Renault (2016–2017)
caption_attribution_description: English: Jolyon Palmer at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix
context_page_description: Jolyon Palmer 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 2016 season, during which he scored his first World Championship points at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Palmer stayed with Renault for 2017 through to the Japanese Grand Prix.
  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. 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 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.
context_section_description: 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 Renault's 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.
  A car issue in the next races in Bahrain and China prevented Palmer from showing his true form but he bounced back in the Russian Grand Prix, finishing a strong 13th having started 18th on the grid. He repeated that result in the Spanish Grand Prix, coming home ahead of team-mate Magnussen. After an early exit in Monaco, a water leak put paid to his race in Canada before he finished the European Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, in a creditable 15th.
  Palmer recorded his best result since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as he came home in 12th in Austria before competing in his maiden home Grand Prix at Silverstone. That ended in disappointment as he suffered a suspected gearbox problem which led to his retirement on lap 38, but he produced a career-best drive next time out in the Hungarian Grand Prix as he narrowly missed out on a maiden points scoring finish in Formula 1, finishing 12th. An opening lap clash ended his German Grand Prix before he led the Renault charge at Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Grand Prix, coming home in 15th. Palmer's Italian Grand Prix came to a premature end as he once again led the way for the French manufacturer, as Sauber's Felipe Nasr hit the Brit and eventually forced his retirement from the race on safety grounds.
  At the Malaysian Grand Prix, Palmer had his best result to date and claimed his first World Championship point. He finished 10th, 14 seconds behind Jenson Button's McLaren and three seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz in a Toro Rosso.
  On 9 November 2016 it was announced Palmer had extended his deal with Renault for 2017.
  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 Jolyon's 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.
caption: Palmer driving for Renault at the 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark III", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2016:04:17 14:56:26", "Image Artist": "Dave Jefferys", "Image Copyright": "www.JaffaPix.com 2016", "Image ExifOffset": "276", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "970", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "8142", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/500", "EXIF FNumber": "71/10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "200", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2016:04:01 14:31:32", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2016:04:01 14:31:32", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "1120723/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2827819/500000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "5", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "400", "EXIF SubSecTime": "00", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "00", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "00", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1600", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1067", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1100", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1100", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "3", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "278021003198", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[100, 400, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0000000000"}