Jolyon Palmer to make Lotus FP1 debut in China
Reigning GP2 Series champion Jolyon Palmer will make his Grand Prix weekend debut when he drives for Lotus in free practice at the Chinese GP next month.
Photo by: XPB Images
Palmer will drive the Mercedes-powered E23 in the first practice session at Shanghai, as part of his reserve driver role. He previously drove the car in pre-season testing at Barcelona, where he completed 77 laps of the circuit and posted the eighth quickest time.
"I am really pleased that I will be back in the car for practice in China,” said Palmer. “It will be my first Formula One session on a Grand Prix weekend and I'm really looking forward to it.
“I've never raced on the Shanghai circuit before so there is plenty of homework to do but I will make sure that I'm fully prepared for it. The focus is now on Malaysia and helping the team achieve a good result in the Grand Prix on Sunday."
Lotus F1 Team CEO Matthew Carter added: "We are looking forward to having Jolyon in the E23 Hybrid for the first practice session in China. He did a great job at the pre-season test in Barcelona, offering good technical feedback and showing strong pace throughout the day.
“Driving in FP1 in Shanghai will help both his progress as a driver and the team's development programme with the car and we are sure he will put in an impressive performance."
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