Born |
Lewisham, London, England |
7 November 1956
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Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | British |
Active years | 1983–1989 |
Teams | Williams, RAM, Zakspeed, Tyrrell |
Entries | 88 (83 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 14 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 1 |
First entry | 1983 European Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1989 Australian Grand Prix |
Jonathan Charles Palmer (born 7 November 1956) is a British former Formula One racing driver. Also a doctor, he briefly practised medicine before he opted for a career in motorsport.
Active in Formula One between 1983 and 1989, Palmer drove for Tyrrell, Williams, RAM, and Zakspeed. He won 14 Championship points from 83 starts. He also raced a Group C Porsche in sports car events between 1983 and 1990, most notably winning the 1984 1000 km of Brands Hatch with co-driver Jan Lammers and taking second place at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-drivers James Weaver and Richard Lloyd.
Palmer helped develop the McLaren F1 road car, and drove one to a new speed record for production cars. He has taken a role in the racing careers of Jolyon Palmer and Will Palmer, his two sons.
He is currently the majority shareholder and chief executive of MotorSport Vision, a motorsports organization.
Following his education at Brighton College, Palmer raced an Austin Healey Sprite and a Marcos in club events while he was a medical student at Guy’s Hospital. He went on to work as a doctor at Buckfield and Brighton hospitals, and opted for a professional driving career after he had participated in Formula Ford from 1978 to 1980. He won the British Formula 3 Championship in 1981, and landed a Williams Formula One test drive in 1982. The following year he won the European Formula Two Championship, and the British Racing Drivers' Club awarded him their Gold Star.