Jolyon Palmer looking to close the gap to Kevin Magnussen

Jolyon Palmer has said he is looking to improve his qualifying record against team mate Kevin Magnussen.

Magnussen, who spent the 2014 season racing for McLaren, has out qualified the British driver in eight race so far this season, with Palmer having the upper hand twice.

But despite the unflattering record against his team mate, Palmer believes he's not too far off the Dane's pace.

"Obviously he’s got a bit more experience than me and he’s had a few of seasons working with a top team so he’s a good yardstick," Palmer said. "It’s true he’s been just ahead of me in qualifying at many races but when you look at the actual lap times it’s so very close, we’re talking just a tenth or hundredths. Somehow it falls just so very slightly on Kev’s side.

"The races are often just as close and we’re often fighting for the same piece of track. This shows that we’re both generally getting the most out of the car for any given circumstance so this is beneficial for the team," he continued. "I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to be the one who’s a tenth or so quicker in qualifying; maybe we can make that happen in Budapest."

This weekend Palmer will race in Hungary for the first time as a Formula One driver. While he is a race winner at the circuit in GP", Palmer still thinks that he has a lot to learn going into this weekend.

"Obviously this will be my first Grand Prix there so there’s lots to think about. In particular, the circuit has been resurfaced so that’s an unknown – it might help us, it might not; we won’t know until we get there," he said. "New track surfaces are always a little bit of a venture into the unknown as you don’t know how much grip there will be, how the surface will evolve over the weekend and how the tyres will perform with the surface.

"Of course, a new surface doesn’t change the layout or make a significant difference to your approach to a particular circuit but nevertheless it does give an additional focus."

Replies (1)

Login to reply
  • Jutlandia

    Posts: 191

    Only once has Joylon direct out qualified Kevin this season.
    Doubt that it will change that much.

    • + 0
    • Jul 18 2016 - 20:19

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team -
  • Points -
  • Podiums -
  • Grand Prix -
  • Country United Kingdom
  • Date of b. Jan 20 1991 (35)
  • Place of b. Horsham, United Kingdom
  • Weight 78 kg
  • Length 1.79 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar