Palmer says track has turned a corner and is going to be fun to drive

JOLYON PALMER knows Silverstone well, having raced here often in the junior categories leading up to his Formula One debut at the circuit 12 months ago. What a difference a year makes.

This season’s faster cars meant the lap record was beaten by the thick end of a second after barely half an hour’s running on Friday. Palmer, chasing his first points of the season this weekend, says the challenge is ‘completely different’.

‘It feels much faster this year,’ says Palmer. ‘It’s completely different and the high-speed sections are rapid.

‘It’s the most fun circuit to drive so far in comparison to last year, but it will be the hardest one on the neck muscles too with the extra forces.’ Here’s the Renault driver’s guide to the circuit.

ABBEY

The first corner is an incredibly fast right-hander, taken just about flat out at 190mph. Drivers get as close as they dare to the kerbs just past the apex to set themselves up for the left-handed turn two. Jolyon says: ‘The first two corners are less challenging. They’re easily flat out which they weren’t before because of the extra grip. You can tell instantly this place is bloody quick now.’

BROOKLANDS AND LUFFIELD

Turns six and seven start under heavy braking at the end of the first DRS Zone before the lefthanded Brooklands, taken at 120mph. Next is the very long, right-handed Luffield where the drivers fight the car sliding left.

Jolyon says: ‘This is one of the slowest sections but the braking distances are much shorter this year. That caught me out on Friday when the rear stepped out and I spun at Brooklands.’

COPSE

Turn nine kicks off an iconic highspeed section. First up is Copse and it’s the quickest of the lot at 175mph. A touch on the brake pedal before nailing the apex is essential for a smooth exit that allows the drivers to get straight back on the power.

Jolyon says: ‘Copse is a bit more challenging this year because it’s right on the limit in terms of being flat out. It’s very, very close and you need to be brave.’

MAGGOTS, BECKETTS AND CHAPEL

The snaking section at the end of sector two sends the car left, right, left, right and left again in one of the most enthralling sequences of corners in the world.

There is plenty of time to be found here but it’s easy to make a mistake, too. Jolyon says: ‘Maggots and Becketts are pretty much one corner now because your foot is nailed down throughout. The end is not quite flat but you’re happy to compromise there to get on the right part of the track for the exit.’

STOWE

The right-hander at the end of the Hangar straight has become even more difficult since the introduction of DRS. The braking zone is slightly obscured on a crest as the cars go from 215mph to 140mph before drifting left on the exit.

Jolyon says: ‘If you nail the braking zone, it’s no problem. But with lap times two to three seconds faster than last year you’re starting to feel the neck muscles now after all those high-speed corners.’