Palmer "so happy" after securing points in Singapore

Jolyon Palmer claimed his second ever top ten finish on Sunday at Singapore, crossing the line in sixth place. The result matches Renault's best result since returning as a manufacturer in 2016. The Brit started the Grand Prix from eleventh and benefited from the misfortunes of others at the start of the race.

The strong result comes at a weekend that Palmer heard the news that he would not be a Renault driver in 2018. With a full-time Formula 1 seat in doubt for next year, the 26-year-old hopes that his form around the Marina Bay Circuit will continue into the next round.

"I’m so happy, it’s been a long time coming but today everything fell into place," he said. "It was a tricky race with the drama at the start and the heavy rain but the circumstances put us in a good place to score some points. We had a good strategy, good pit stops and the car was good in the wet conditions. The next race should be even better.

"I would have been happy in any race to finish sixth. I finally get some points for the season and I have seven more races to do a good job and go out with my head held high with Renault. I’ve done one - I have six more to do.

"You want to show every weekend the best you can do," he continued. "I think the result this weekend is finally a bit of good luck, because obviously there were cars ahead who dropped out. But we negotiated all the conditions well."