Jolyon Palmer (born 20 January 1991) is a British motorsport commentator and columnist, covering all rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship on BBC Radio 5 and the official F1 app alongside Jack Nicholls. Palmer is a regular columnist on the BBC Sport website and is also a special contributor to the official Formula 1 website, offering detailed analysis on racing incidents following each Grand Prix. Prior to his media career Palmer was a racing driver and the 2014 GP2 Series champion. Palmer drove for Renault Sport F1 Team in the Formula One World Championship. He made his Formula One debut with the team at the start of the 2016 season, during which he scored his first World Championship points at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Palmer stayed with Renault for 2017 through to the Japanese Grand Prix. Palmer, the son of former F1 driver and major UK race circuit owner Jonathan Palmer, was educated at Dorset House School, after which he attended Cranleigh School and the University of Nottingham (from which he graduated with a bachelor degree in Management Studies in 2012). He drove for the Lotus Formula One team as a test driver in 2015, stepping up to a full-time race seat the following season when the team received manufacturer backing from Renault.

Career

T Cars (2005–2007)

Having spent 2004 racing in MiniMax karts, Palmer moved up to cars in 2005 and specifically the T Cars championship's Autumn Trophy – a racing series for drivers between the ages of 14 and 17. Palmer finished fifth in that championship, with a grand total of 92 points, 46 behind championship winner Adrian Quaife-Hobbs.