Palmer won’t get Lotus race seat in 2016

Lotus deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi says Jolyon Palmer will not get a race seat with the team in 2016.

Palmer is carrying out third driver duties for Lotus this season, taking part in a number of FP1 sessions and completing a number of test days. The 2014 GP2 champion said this week he doesn’t want to remain as third driver next season, setting his sights on a race seat.

However, with both Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado contracted to Lotus for next year, Gastaldi told F1i the plan for Palmer would be to do another year as reserve before a potential promotion in 2017.

Asked if Palmer is going to give him a headache when it comes to the current driver pairing, Gastaldi replied: “No, at the moment we have the same [line-up]. Pastor and Romain are signed until the end of the next season and we hope Jolyon will stay with us as well as a third driver.”

Gastaldi is keen to keep Palmer on board and says he sees big potential in the 24-year-old after his limited running in the 2015 car so far this year.

“He’s here because he’s been winning in all the series to be here. It’s not by mistake he’s here, we have big plans for him. He’s obviously now going through the learning process to be more confident with a Formula One car. So I think he’s the future.

“He’s a good driver, that’s for sure. It would be good to have the next good English driver around us.”