Briton Jolyon Palmer revealed he was happy to get some decent amount of running in during free practice around the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain following the wet weather that had affected everyone during the previous event in Australia two weeks ago.
The 2014 GP2 Series champion and 2016 Formula 1 rookie finished down in twentieth in FP1 and eighteenth in FP2 on Friday, but felt the number of laps gathering data was more important than lap times as he continues to gets to grips with the Renault Sport F1 teams’ RS16 car.
Palmer completed twenty-eight laps in opening practice, before adding thirty-five more under the lights in second practice, and feels there is still more to come from the Renault Sport F1 team this weekend in the desert.
“It was good to get a full day of running on a Friday after the rain we had in Melbourne,” said Palmer.
“There was a big difference in temperatures between both practice sessions, and with the circuit becoming less sandy and more rubber getting down, the track evolution was significant.
“We got a decent number of laps in today and there’s plenty to get on with overnight; there’s still more to come.”