Jolyon Palmer is hopeful his second Canadian Grand Prix lasts longer than his first after a water leak ended his 2016 race after just sixteen laps, and he is eager to build on his best race of the season last time out in Monaco.
The Renault Sport Formula 1 Team racer believes he should be more competitive around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2017 than in his rookie campaign, and he will be aiming to get as much out of the car as he can in order to maximise his chances of a top ten finish.
“I raced there for the first time last year, it is a street circuit again but a different one compared to Monaco, as there are more opportunities to overtake,” said Palmer. “The weather is a question mark as there have been many wet races there in the past.
“I enjoyed it last year, even though my race was rather curtailed for reasons outside my control. We should be a good chunk more competitive this time around. We’ll do everything we can to maximise the car around the track and we’ll be pushing all the way as usual.
“In terms of the city, the place is really cool and one which genuinely embraces Formula 1. It is a fun track with lots of sequences, we need to prepare for the exits of the corners and get ready for the long straights.
“Then there is the ‘Wall of Champions’, where you can win or lose a lot of time, or hit the wall as well.”
Palmer hopes to bring the confidence he was able to take from Monaco, where he finished eleventh having started sixteenth, into Canada, with the Briton still seeking his first points finish of the year.
“Monaco is good practice I think, we had a strong race there and hopefully we can build on the confidence,” said Palmer. “It will be a similar story to Monaco in terms of the new cars, with width and wider rear tyres making things tricky. You are right up against the walls in a lot of corners in Canada, and it will be even tighter and narrower with these cars!
“It is pretty hard to overtake in Monaco, so eleventh from P16 was it, and just one second away from getting the first point of the year. It felt much better than P11 and we can certainly take this momentum to Canada and aim for a strong weekend with a good result on Sunday.”
