Jolyon Palmer goes 70 laps on same set of tires

Renault driver Jolyon Palmer drove a set of medium tires for almost the entire Mexican Grand Prix.

Palmer declared himself happy with his race, moving from last on the starting grid to finish 14th.

The Briton missed qualifying after a cracked chassis had to be repaired following an incident in the final practice session.

“I think 14th is as good as we could have got from starting at the back, so I’m happy,” Palmer said. “I had some really good fights with the McLaren guys, which was good fun, and 70 laps on one set of tires is probably some sort of record."

After starting with Supersoft tires, Palmer had them changed on the opening lap to mediums and kept that set until the end.

With the tyres not in the best condition toward the finish, the McLaren-Hondas of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso went past him.

“It was a bit of a challenge, but in the end we were still going okay; we were quick enough to keep our competitors behind,” Palmer said. “All in all, I’m pretty happy with today.”

Palmer is last in the Drivers’ Championship, with one point alongside Stoffel Vandoorne of McLaren-Honda and Pascal Wehrlein of Manor, while Renault Sport are ninth in the Constructors’ Championship on eight points, 21 behind Haas and seven ahead of Manor.