Carlos Sainz will replace Jolyon Palmer starting from Austin

Jolyon Palmer had been on the hot seat for several months. Every race weekend began with a question about the British driver’s future with Renault. Invariably, the response was that he had a contract until the end of the season and that he fully intended to see it through to the end.

However, a first step had been taken when the team made it official that Carlos Sainz will race next season at the wheel of a yellow and black car. It could then be estimated that Renault had decided to wait until 2018 to have a pair of competitive drivers.

But after the Suzuka qualifications, the team with the diamond logo announced that the Spaniard’s arrival was anticipated and would take place in the United States in fifteen days, as commented by Jolyon Palmer himself: “The Japanese Grand Prix will be my last race with Renault. The season has been extremely difficult, and I have experienced a lot during these three years. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic adventure. I can be proud of my performances in the second half of last season, of my first point in Malaysia, and of course, my best result, a sixth place this year in Singapore.”

Renault achieves an excellent operation as it allows them to strengthen while weakening a direct rival. Thus, Toro Rosso is only ten points ahead of Renault. Both teams are in a similar situation as Nico Hülkenberg has scored 34 of Renault’s 42 points, while Carlos Sainz has scored 48 of Toro Rosso’s 52 points.

Within the Italian team, Daniil Kvyat will be able to make his return after missing the Malaysian and Japanese events. Pierre Gasly is, for his part, retained within the team, which means he is giving up a potential Super Formula title, as the championship’s final takes place the same weekend.

Now it remains to be seen if Jolyon Palmer will manage to find a new seat in F1. One of his last hopes lies in Williams’ second seat, but Felipe Massa, Paul di Resta, or Robert Kubica seem much better positioned than him…

With the participation of [www.racingbusiness.fr](https://www.racingbusiness.fr)