Jolyon Palmer delivered several masterclasses in what could well
be a defining season in his career, as the 19-year-old Briton
belied his young age with several outstanding drives which saw him
lead the championship for five months and push eventual champion
Dean Stoneman all the way until the very final round of the
season.
Palmer started his year in superb style, winning the very first
race at Silverstone to become the first Briton to win an F2 race
since his father Jonathan triumphed in 1983. Consecutive podiums
followed in the second race and at Marrakech, before Jolyon
confirmed his early dominance with an outstanding weekend in Monza:
claiming two pole positions and two race wins around the iconic
Monza circuit to complete the most successful weekend of any driver
in the season. His success didn't abate, and he scored two pole
positions, one victory and one second in the searing heat of
Portugal to take a seeming strangle hold on the championship.
Unfortunately, Palmer suffered a disappointing next round at
Brands Hatch, scoring an eighth place in race one before a clash
with title rival Dean Stoneman at Paddock Hill which ultimately
cost both drivers the chance to score points. Jolyon responded in
perfect fashion however, jumping Stoneman away from the line in
Brno and leading him home to score his fifth victory of the year
and maintain his championship lead.
Palmer finally succumbed to Stoneman's charge in Oschersleben,
but he again demonstrated his remarkable improvement this year with
a sensational drive in wet conditions in Oschersleben - scything
through the field to record his tenth podium of the year. It was to
be his last podium of the year, but his 85-point gap over
Sergey Afanasiev highlights what a remarkable season it was for the
Briton, who will now have his sights firmly set on GP2 and a future
career at the very highest level of the sport.