Palmer heads to Malaysia with more points in sight

If Renault's Malaysia GP preview is anything to go by, Jolyon Palmer will be racing in Sepang next weekend, putting to rest fears of his replacement by new recruit Carlos Sainz.

Palmer thus kicks off the first of his last six races with Renault after the termination last week of his contract with the French outfit.

Singapore saw the Briton score his best ever result in F1 following his drive to P6, and the 26-year-old is hoping for more of the same at a venue which brought him his first F1 top-ten finish last year.

"Finally we had a smooth race which is ironic given what was going on with the safety cars and the tricky weather conditions," explains Palmer.

"We made a good start, and the move on Bottas was fun; a lot happened in the two hours. It feels like a weight off the shoulders to get some points, I hope to push on now and get some more. I know I can do it." 

• Palmer wants to show what he can do before Renault exit

Sepang is another 'hot and sweaty' track which will likely challenge the drivers physically although less so than in Marina Bay last weekend.

"It’s always nice and warm there and I tend to do well in these humid races; Malaysia last year, Singapore this year so I’m looking forward to it," says the Brit.

"It’s a cool track with a good atmosphere to match. It’s a flowing circuit with some long straights, fast corners and hard braking zones.

"We have a bit of confidence going there. The car keeps getting better, I’m certainly improving too so we’ll aim to get another good result.

"I raced in Sepang twice when I was in GP2 but for various reasons at the time I didn’t have any memorable finishes, although one year I came up to ninth from the back of the grid.

"Last year I got my first Formula 1 point; there are plenty of overtaking opportunities on the track so I’ll be looking to make the most of it and add some more points.

"Kuala Lumpur is a really cool city to explore and downtown you can visit the very modern areas with the big famous towers and then you have the more traditional areas and the markets. The city’s got a great vibe."

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