Jolyon Palmer has said that his maiden home Grand Prix was "one of the least enjoyable races of the year so far" after retiring with gearbox problems after spending the majority of the race languishing at the back of the field.
After showing strong pace in the wet conditions early on, moving up from him 18th place starting position, the Brit was hit with a penalty after being released from the pits with only three wheels attached to his car. From then on he began to struggle.
"The pace was really good on inters but when I was on slicks it was really painful," Palmer told Autosport. "You can't do anything, you're just on a hiding to nothing."
"[Then] We then got the penalty which just made it worse," he continued. "It was one of the least enjoyable races of the year so far."
"I was always looking in my mirrors letting people go and not trying to get in people's way," he added. "There was a time where I couldn't even drive the car properly because you have to get out the way the whole time.
"Then it's damp off line, you have to get your temperature back, have to wait for the next one to go through, and every time you lose about three seconds, and so very quickly, you find yourself two laps down."
Speaking of his retirement with suspected gearbox problems, Palmer said the decision was more damage limitation with the points positions beyond reach.
"We just had some concerns with the gearbox, so two laps down we couldn't really recover that even with a safety car, so it was just a precaution really," he said. "The guys are checking to see what's definitely up with it now, but there were some strange shifts."
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