F1: Palmer disappointed by lack of team orders
Jolyon Palmer was disappointed his Renault Formula 1 team didn't ask teammate Kevin Magnussen to move over for him during the United States Grand Prix.
The Renault drivers spent a large portion of the race running in close proximity at Circuit of The Americas, with Magnussen ahead after Palmer lost ground in the opening laps as he struggled to get his tires up to working temperature.
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While Palmer hoped Renault would ask Magnussen to move aside, no orders were issued, and Magnussen eventually finished 10 seconds and two places ahead in 11th after making an extra stop and using fresher tyres to get back ahead of Palmer.
"Mainly I was stuck behind Kev and I couldn't do anything more," Palmer said. "For a lot of the race I was within 1.5 seconds, and struggling to follow, damaging the tires.
"I knew I was quicker but not close enough to get through. I was on the radio in the first stint saying I was quicker, but nothing happened.
"I was hoping that they might switch it so we could chase the other cars ahead. I was pushing like hell to pass him and overheating the tires and ultimately I dropped back.
"I felt like it wasn't the best call in the interests of the team. I was so much quicker and it's really frustrating. Considering I was held up for 30 laps, I could have been a long way up the road."
Palmer accepted his poor start to the race, where he fell from 14th to 17th on the second lap – including slipping behind Magnussen – ultimately decided his race.
"The disappointment was the start – I didn't get the tires alive for a few laps," he said. "I struggled with the balance and lost places. Those laps made a big difference. I paid for that for the next 30 laps and it was pretty frustrating.
"We didn't get the car switched on for the opening couple – we need to look at that because without it we would have been easily 11th and fighting for a point."
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