'I was an F1 driver – I found out I was being sacked in a magazine'

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer found out he was being axed by Renault through a magazine article. Palmer raced for the French team for one-and-a-half seasons but lost his seat in unceremonious fashion in October 2017, which he says left a “bad taste”. The British driver, 33, has not raced since his career came to a crashing halt.

Palmer had been a test driver for F1 teams Force India and Lotus before earning a permanent seat for the first time with Renault ahead of the 2016 season. He earned a single point that year, partnering Kevin Magnussen and finishing 18th in the drivers’ standings. More disappointing results in 2017 amid car reliability issues meant the writing was on the wall for Palmer, who was aware he would be losing his seat for the 2018 season.

But, seven years later, Palmer has opened up about being dropped without being told by Renault ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix - with four races still left in the season. He recalled reading the bombshell news on Autosport that he would be replaced by Carlos Sainz Jr - 19 months after his Renault debut - without so much as an indication from team boss Cyril Abiteboul. Palmer told the Beyond the Grid podcast: “My brother sent me a message and was like ‘oh, have you seen this’, and it was Autosport - ‘Sainz to replace Palmer’.

I was like, ‘what?!’ Genuinely, that was the first I’d heard of it. I was at home and I clicked on it. I was really reading my own downfall on Autosport.

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