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Abiteboul applies pressure to Palmer ahead of Hungary

Published on 25 Jul 2017 17:47
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By: Fergal Walsh

Renault's managing director Cyril Abiteboul has piled pressure on the shoulders of Jolyon Palmer ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, stating that a double points finish is "critical". Palmer has failed to finish inside the top ten this season, while teammate Nico Hulkenberg has done so on five occasions in ten races.

Palmer's seat is under heavy scrutiny after the Brit has had a series of poor results, with a number of suitors such as Robert Kubica and Carlos Sainz being lined up as his replacement. Hungary will see both cars run with an upgraded floor, something Abiteboul hopes will see a boost in performance in terms of point finishes.

"We head to Hungary with a positive mood brought about by the recent performance gains we have seen to the R.S.17. Budapest is the final race before the summer break and this gives us added motivation. We have shown at Silverstone that we are continuing to improve.

"Chassis developments, in particular the new floor, proved to be positive exemplified from Nico’s eight points and both cars showing strong qualifying pace. It’s critical to back up this improvement with both cars finishing in the top ten in Hungary – we want to finish the first half of the season on a positive note. To achieve this, we need to put behind our reliability problems. We know our situation and the areas which require more attention."

Palmer is looking forward to driving around the exciting track: "The entire circuit flows together and makes for an exciting lap, there is little room for error in terms of braking and turning points, everything has to go smoothly. It’s difficult to overtake there and it’s important to find a good rhythm. It’s fun to drive a lap, it’s usually good for racing, so hopefully I can have a change of luck and finally get some points."

Fergal Walsh

SPERX

Posts: 21

I am not a fan of Palmer, but he has hardly had a reliable car this season. The time for Renault to " apply pressure" is when they can field two reliable cars each weekend.

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Jul 25 2017 - 23:34

F1 News Jolyon Palmer Robert Kubica Renault

Replies (8)

calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
I'd like to see how he drive in another series. I think he is a good driver, its a shame we havent seen it in F1.
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- Jul 25 2017 - 21:08
- f1fan0101
  
  Posts: 1,804
  Agreed, he looked pretty good in GP2.. maybe he could step in for Prost in Formula E
  + 0
  
  Jul 25 2017 - 22:56
SPERX

Posts: 21
I am not a fan of Palmer, but he has hardly had a reliable car this season. The time for Renault to " apply pressure" is when they can field two reliable cars each weekend.
- + 1
- Jul 25 2017 - 23:34
- f1fan0101
  
  Posts: 1,804
  Agree, Palmer has had some rotten luck
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  Jul 25 2017 - 23:58
- Kevin
  
  Posts: 5,341
  At this point, it doesn't matter anymore whether or not Palmer performs in Hungary. He will be out of the car starting Belgium. This message from the team is — in my eyes — a way of covering themselves in. This way it won't come out of the blue when they announce Kubica.
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  Jul 26 2017 - 02:52
boudy

Posts: 1,168
The more bad luck he has had the more I support him. The way he handles himself during interviews and how he reflects on things I find that he is the perfect gentleman. Last year he improved through the year he will do the same this year. I really hope that they give him time. Putting a new driver in this late in the season should only be done in extreme situations. Renault has not provided him with a reliable car and they should be focussed on improving that instead of deflecting to driver choice.
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- Jul 26 2017 - 08:47
RacetoWin

Posts: 95
Palmer is toast.

he's crashed like 10 times over the race weekends this year. he is not a good driver who being held back by mechanical problems. his mechanical issues are saving the team from rebuilding the car from more crashes.

palmer crashed alot as a rookie too, he doesn't even have good pace, he's always at the back in a car that should be flirting with the top 10.

renault needs to drop him, not reward him with a drive in another series. have you met any palmer fans? me neither.
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- Jul 26 2017 - 23:31
Bhurt

Posts: 320
The real question is, why did they give him the seat for 2017 in the first place? They knew exactly what they would be getting.

I guess the answer is that they simply didn't have anyone else to put in the car at the time. As soon as they do (Kubica), Palmer will be gone.
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- Jul 27 2017 - 01:19