Jolyon Palmer almost died in a quad bike crash aged 16. Now he's our new kid on the F1 grid

  • Palmer lost a kidney, punctured both lungs and broke several ribs at 16
  • Now the 25-year-old will drive for Renault in Melbourne at the weekend
  • His father Jonathan started 83 Formula One races in the 1980s

British Formula One fans will have a new name to support this coming season: Jolyon Carlyle Palmer. ‘My parents surpassed themselves with those, didn’t they?’ he laughs. ‘The names are a bit of a mess.’

Each eldest Palmer boy is traditionally given a Christian name starting with ‘J’, and Jolyon - meaning youthful or soft-haired - was chosen for its own sake, while Carlyle is a family moniker deriving from his mother’s side. Each of Jolyon’s siblings, boys and girls, have the same second name.

Palmer, who is 25, will drive for Renault in Melbourne on Sunday to become the 13th son of a former driver to take part in Formula One, following his father Jonathan, who started 83 races in the 1980s and is a former BBC summariser.

Jolyon Palmer lost a kidney, punctured both lungs and broke several ribs in a quad bike accident

Jolyon Palmer lost a kidney, punctured both lungs and broke several ribs in a quad bike accident

Sitting in a Bedfordshire gastropub sipping a Diet Coke, lemon, no ice, he says he is ‘excited rather than nervous’ about his debut, when he will become the third Briton on the grid alongside world champions past and present Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

He is hardly cut from the same cloth as the rags-to-riches Hamilton, whose ever-more outlandish dress and bling is all rock and roll. Palmer, a product of Dorset House prep school near his home in Horsham, West Sussex, and Cranleigh in Surrey, where boarding fees are a touch north of £34,000 a year, says he is ‘generally a man of simple tastes’.

‘I don’t really spend much on clothes,’ he says, wearing black jeans and a black round-neck jumper over a T-shirt. ‘And I can’t really see the bling working for me. I am extremely grounded. I have my family and friends and they won’t let me get above myself.

‘I have never really spoken to Lewis. He keeps himself to himself. He doesn’t speak to any of the other drivers much. He is on another planet. But Jenson is more open. He congratulated me when I got the race drive.’

Palmer will become the 13th son of a former driver to take part in Formula One

Palmer will become the 13th son of a former driver to take part in Formula One

Life for Palmer has changed little since he spent last season as Lotus’s reserve driver, prior to Renault taking over. Much of his existence is lived out of a suitcase, as is the way with F1’s travelling circus. He shares a flat in Clapham, South London, with his elder sister Emily, 27.

He rarely drinks. He spends a couple of hours a day in the gym for work, but prefers racket sports — he has a squash racket in the back of his car, a Renault Megane Sport — and five-a-side football, though its potential for injury puts it off limits for now.

He was once a half-decent right back and originally eschewed karting despite being bought a shiny new machine by his parents aged four. He was 12 when he had his Damascene moment while karting at a birthday party.

Aged 16 he lost a kidney, punctured both lungs and broke several ribs in a quad bike accident that left him in intensive care and ‘touch and go’.

He will become the third Briton on the grid alongside Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton

He will become the third Briton on the grid alongside Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton

‘My parents were told that I might die. It was horrible for them. My dad said that without the air ambulance and a trauma surgeon I would be gone.

‘I was riding a 450cc quad bike and looked back. It was a stupid mistake. I was in intensive care for three days. I had to watch what I ate for a while. I joke with the engineers that I have done them a favour — I am lighter! But one kidney adapts and after a while I could eat whatever I wanted.’

Despite all that, he went on to win the GP2 championship, F1’s feeder series, in 2014, having also received a business degree from Nottingham University. But his F1 dream remained distant as Lotus faced extinction and seats at other teams were snapped up by drivers with multi-million-pound sponsorships.

Yes he is a paid driver, though he says only with a small amount of financial support organised by his father-manager Jonathan.

The 25-year-old is excited about his Formula One debut for Renault in Australia this weekend

The 25-year-old is excited about his Formula One debut for Renault in Australia this weekend

He gets recognised occasionally when he is out in Clapham, to the surprise of old buddies.

Palmer’s brother, Will, 19, is competing in Formula Renault this season, while sister Alice, 22, is a promising show jumper.

A sporting dynasty may be emerging from this talented family, but for the next few months all eyes will be on the elder boy, Jolyon Carlyle Palmer.

Palmer follows his father Jonathan (left), who started 83 races for Williams, Ram, Zakspeed and Tyrell

Palmer follows his father Jonathan (left), who started 83 races for Williams, Ram, Zakspeed and Tyrell

Palmer made his F1 debut at Brands Hatch in 1983, driving for the Williams team at the European Grand Prix

Palmer made his F1 debut at Brands Hatch in 1983, driving for the Williams team at the European Grand Prix

SIX OTHER BRITS WHO GAVE F1 A GO

Will Stevens raced for Caterham and Marussia

Will Stevens raced for Caterham and Marussia

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have hogged the headlines but here are six other British drivers who have raced in Formula One over the last 15 years. 

WILL STEVENS (Caterham 2014, Marussia 2015)

F1 record: Races 18, Points 0

What happened next? The 24-year-old is racing for Manor Motorsport in this year’s World Endurance Championship.

MAX CHILTON (Marussia 2013-14)

F1 record: Races 35, Points 0

What happened next? Embarking on his first IndyCar series, the 24-year-old finished 17th on his debut in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix in Florida.

PAUL DI RESTA (Force India 2011-13)

F1 record: Races 58, Points 121

Allan McNish started 16 races for Toyota in 2002

Allan McNish started 16 races for Toyota in 2002

What happened next? The Scot, 29, is back in F1 as a reserve driver for Williams after finishing eighth in last year’s German Touring Car Masters.

ANTHONY DAVIDSON (Minardi 2002, BAR 2005, Super Aguri 2007-2008)

F1 record: Races 24, Points 0

What happened next? After recovering from breaking two vertebrae when his car flipped at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012, he won the 2014 World Endurance Championship and is also a Sky pundit.

JUSTIN WILSON (Minardi 2003, Jaguar 2003)

F1 record: Races 16, Points 1

What happened next? The 37-year-old died after being struck by debris during an IndyCar race in Pennsylvania last August.

ALLAN McNISH (Toyota 2002)

F1 record: Races 16, Points 0

What happened next? Retired in 2013 after winning his third 24 Hours of Le Mans crown and now works as a BBC pundit.

 

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