Jolyon Palmer was an early casualty from the Monaco Grand Prix after being caught out by the extremely wet track on the start-finish straight, with the British driver losing control as his car suffered wheelspin on a white line.
After circulating behind the safety car for the first seven laps of the race, Palmer crashed as the field made their way down to Ste Devote on the first green flag lap, smashing his Renault Sport F1 RS16 into the barrier on the straight before heading into the barriers at Ste Devote for a secondary impact.
Both front corners of his car were damaged in the crash, but Palmer was able to get out of the car unaided, but disappointed with the outcome of his first Monaco Grand Prix.
“The traction was appalling after the safety car and I got caught out,” revealed Palmer. “I had wheelspin in fifth gear on the white line that crosses the track.
“There was nothing I could do – I was just a passenger and went straight away into the wall. It’s so difficult as we know that the white lines are slippery but they are everywhere. I’m disappointed as I love this track and it’s been good for me in the past.
“But I’m now looking forward to Canada and putting this weekend behind me. Monaco hasn’t been good to me this year so we need to move on to the next race and look for a better weekend.”