Jolyon Palmer is ‘pumped-up’ as he returns to a familiar stomping ground this weekend (13-15 May) targeting a ‘strong, solid’ performance in the Spanish Grand Prix. 

After the opening three flyaway races of the season, Formula 1 travelled to Russia at the beginning of May, yielding an upturn in fortunes for the Renault Sport Formula One Team.

Following the installation of a new floor in his R.S.16 on Friday night in Sochi, Palmer matched his highly-rated team-mate for pace in qualifying and the early part of the race – but the young British F1 rookie’s strategy did not work out quite so well as his team-mate’s, leaving him just outside the top ten when the chequered flag fell.

A fired-up Palmer is now eager to take full advantage of Renault’s improved form as the F1 circus returns to Europe in Barcelona, around a circuit at which he tallied a brace of podium finishes en route to his record-breaking GP2 Series crown in 2014. 

“A strong, solid weekend would be nice,” said the 25-year-old Southwater racer. “We’ve made progress with the car and I’m happy with the balance and how it drives again. Kevin scored points for the team in Russia, so we know what’s possible.  

“I’ve been to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya many times and it’s a track that most Formula 1 drivers know extremely well, even just from the pre-season testing we’ve done there this year. From a driving point of view we know exactly what to expect, however it’s traditionally the first circuit where you see a lot of updates brought so you can see some differences in relative competitiveness. 

“It’s certainly one of the more physical circuits as there are a lot of long, fast corners and lots of high lateral Gs that put your neck and core under strain. I prefer quick stuff where you can really hang it out. The Circuit de Catalunya has a couple of corners that really take my fancy – Turn Three’s a long, fast corner and then Turn Nine is a good one, too; it’s quick and it’s blind to the exit, so you really have to commit. 

“For the long corners the aero is really important, and with the DRS on the straight and the tyre degradation we see there, there’s potential for a good race. I’m pretty pumped-up for a strong weekend.”