Renault driver Jolyon Palmer says he is “really happy” to finish 10th in the Malaysian Grand Prix and score his first point, admitting “everything came together”.
Palmer started down in 19th place and used a one-stop strategy to move steadily up the order, moving into the top 10 in the closing stages.
He started on the hard tyre and went all the way to lap 31 before stopping for a set of the soft Pirelli compound.
The British driver finished 10th to score his first point in Formula 1, at the 16th round of the 2016 season.
“Point-scorer: It feels good,” he said. “I’m really happy, I think the whole week has been really positive.
“The race was really smooth – I wish it was always so straightforward. I was really disappointed with how qualifying went especially as I’d been feeling strong all weekend, so I’m glad the race went really well and we could make up for it.
“The car gave me everything I needed, we handled the tyres well and the team did a great job with strategy and pit stops.
“We got a little bit of a break as well; finally everything came together and we got it home to P10.”
