Jolyon Palmer believes Renault is set for a difficult first season back in F1 as a constructor but has the foundations for future success.
Renault took over Lotus in December 2015 after months of negotiations, with the team at Enstone having been hampered buy a lack of budget throughout last year. Renault itself also struggled with its power unit last season and Palmer is aware it will take time for the team to move up the grid.
“I expect it’s going to be a difficult first season to be honest because we’ve picked up from the ashes of Lotus which was in a very difficult way at the end of last year, so it’s going to be a rebuilding year," Palmer said. "But the long-term ambition is what it’s all about now. So this is just the first step to a very successful team in the future.
“Hopefully we can surprise ourselves in a couple of weeks and be fighting for points and further forward but I think we shouldn’t set expectations too high for now.”
And Palmer says he is fully prepared for what will be his debut season racing in F1 having been the Lotus reserve driver in 2015.
“I feel great. I feel very, very ready for it. It’s just been such a long time coming. I’ve been racing in GP2 for a while and won the championship in 2014 and I was ready to be racing last year.
"Spending a year on the sidelines was frustrating but I learned a huge amount and now I sit here with the Renault team which is very, very exciting. Six weeks away from Melbourne, I’m ready for it and can’t wait to get started.”
Palmer's team-mate will be Kevin Magnussen after the Dane replaced Pastor Maldonado, and he expects the pair to form a strong partnership.
“I’m looking forward to my first year in Formula One, it’s a very exciting time. And I’m really pleased to have Kevin as my team-mate. He’s a good guy, he’s been very quick in Formula One already so he has proven what he’s got. It will be good to have him on the other side of the garage and hopefully we can work together and get some good results.”
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