Palmer not "jetting off to Monte Carlo" just yet

Following his nomination as a works Renault driver, Jolyon Palmer believes his head remains firmly set on his shoulders as he focuses on the job at hand rather than the potential perks and benefits associated with the life of a Grand Prix driver.

With the first test in Barcelona only a fortnight away and a massive workload to undertake, the 25-year-old's mind is centered on boosting his experience and servicing the substantial needs of Renault this season, not on reaping any material rewards.

"My feet are still firmly on the ground; I haven't even done a race this year so I can't jet off to Monte Carlo just yet," Palmer joked at the Zoom F1 charity auction.

"The life of a race driver is quite different to a test driver, but I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a busy season and I want to get started now."

While Palmer's season will start in earnest in Barcelona on February 22, he hasn't exactly been on a light schedule since the end of 2015.

"It’s already been very busy over the winter even though I’ve not been driving anything, it has just been simulator time and working with the engineers.

"So two weeks now is very near to me driving and it’s going to be really intense. I’m training very, very hard before the season starts and a lot of time with the engineers, in the simulator.

"There’s a lot of new names in the team because we’ve got a Renault engine guy and a few more people in as well so it’s just getting working with everyone and getting familiar so when we start in Barcelona we can hit the ground running.”

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