BEYOND THE GRID: Jonathan Palmer on qualifying as a doctor, reaching the F1 grid, and working with Senna

A fresh instalment of the Beyond The Grid podcast brings us more fascinating tales from the world of F1, with Jonathan Palmer the latest personality to come under the spotlight and tell the story of his successful career on and off the track.

In what was an unconventional route to the top echelon, Palmer initially followed on from his father by qualifying as a doctor, before making the call to focus on motorsport and racking up the 1981 British F3 and 1983 European F2 titles.

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It was in 1983 that Williams gave Palmer his F1 debut in the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, which paved the way for a career that spanned 83 starts and included separate stints with RAM, Zakspeed, and Tyrrell – yielding 14 points and a best finish of fourth.

As part of a wide-ranging conversation with host Tom Clarkson, Palmer also reflects on a couple of memorable drives on the streets of Monaco, his time spent working with Ayrton Senna as a test driver at McLaren, and becoming part of the BBC’s F1 coverage.

Meanwhile, Palmer speaks with pride about his son, Jolyon, making it to the F1 grid himself as part of Renault’s driver line-up in 2016 and 2017, and touches on what has kept him busy since hanging up his racing helmet.

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To hear Palmer’s Beyond The Grid interview, hit go in the player above, or head here to catch it on your preferred platform.