British F1 rookie Jolyon Palmer fought to the end in today’s Chinese Grand Prix, maturely keeping his head in a wild race that saw contact and controversy throughout the field.

Lining up in 19^th spot on the grid at the Shanghai International Circuit, Palmer took the start on soft-compound Pirelli tyres and advanced to 16^th position over the course of a frantic opening lap as he artfully took advantage of incidents ahead.

An early safety car period prompted a flurry of pit-stops by the super-soft shod runners, elevating the 25-year-old Southwater racer to seventh position behind the wheel of his Renault Sport Formula One Team R.S.16.

Following three pit visits himself to switch first to super-soft rubber, then back to softs and a final stint on medium tyres, former GP2 Series Champion Palmer took the chequered flag 22^nd to record his second F1 finish from as many starts.

"The start was good today, as was the first lap – we made up a lot of positions," said Palmer. "From then on, though, it was a tough day. The balance of the car was all over the place, tyre degradation was higher than usual and the pace wasn’t as good as in previous races. We need to look at the data really, and I’m definitely happy to move onto the next race."

Nico Rosberg dominated the race out front with the podium positions being completed by Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat.