It was a mixed day for Renault Sport Formula 1 Team driver Jolyon Palmer on the penultimate day of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona on Thursday, as ERS problems for the French manufacturer’s all-new engine, struck again.
The Brit completed just 31 laps and a best lap time of 1:22.418, before hitting problems and stopping out on track in the RS17. Palmer was then resigned to the garage for a number of hours whilst the Enstone based squad investigated the failure, prompting them to keep him in the car instead of the scheduled Nico Hulkenberg after lunch, to allow the Brit further run time.
Palmer did eventually get back out late in the afternoon to complete a further 22 laps despite a disrupted final session, but was unhappy with the feel of the car for the majority of the day, having felt much more comfortable with setup on previous outings.
“It was rather frustrating today with interruptions from our side and also with other disruptions on track too. We never seemed to be able to get into a rhythm and I didn’t get the same feel with the car that we had previously.
“We’re having a good look at the data to understand where we need to improve as we know the scope and potential is there.
With just one day of testing left before the 2017 seasons gets underway on March 24, the Brit is hoping they can end the session on a high, on the final day of running on Friday.
“I’m hoping for a better day to end the test tomorrow.”
