Jolyon Palmer left Budapest a frustrated man, convinced a points-scoring finish could have been achieved without a compromising strategy switch in the Renault camp.

Palmer's Hungarian GP start was rather messy, through no fault of his own, having found himself hard on the brakes to avoid the out of control Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo.

The Briton raced however to the best of his ability, moving all the way up to P8 before a pitstop strategy call, destined to favour team mate Nico Hulkenberg, sent him down the order and behind the slower cars of Kevin Magnussen and Dany Kvyat.

"The start was okay, but I lost out when I had to avoid Ricciardo, who suddenly slowed and that dropped me out of the top ten," Palmer said.

"As well as letting him through, my strategy was compromised today to try and help Nico's race, and that meant Magnussen and Kvyat jumped me.

"It was a frustrating run to the flag with much more pace, but no chance to overtake them on this track. Now I'm looking forward to summer break and switching off from racing to reset for Belgium."

Facing difficult times, marked once again by a mishap in free practice in Hungary,  Jolyon Palmer is struggling to retrieve his confidence.

The 26-year-old will no doubt be attentive to Robert Kubica's run behind the wheel of Renault's RS17 at Budapest's in-season test.

If the Pole puts in a spectacular performance, the writing will likely be on the wall for Palmer.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

 

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

1 min ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

1 hour ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

2 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

3 hours ago

Hamilton delighted with ‘consistently strong day’ in Vegas

Lewis Hamilton was particularly happy with his opening day of running at the Las Vegas…

5 hours ago

Verstappen stuck with 'draggy' rear wing for Vegas

Red Bull fears that its prospects for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix - which…

6 hours ago