Editing Jonathan Palmer (section)

==Racing career==
Jonathan Charles Palmer was born on 7 November 1956 in [[Lewisham]], London, England.<ref name="grandprix">{{cite web |title=Jonathan Palmer Profile - Drivers - GP Encyclopedia - F1 History |url=http://grandprix.com/gpe/drv-paljon.html |website=Grandprix.com |access-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630054401/http://grandprix.com/gpe/drv-paljon.html |archive-date=30 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="espnuk" />

===Early career===
Following his education at [[Brighton College]], Palmer raced an [[Austin Healey Sprite]] and a [[Marcos (automobile)|Marcos]] in club events while he was a medical student at [[Guy's Hospital]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.driving.co.uk/news/interview/motor-jonathan-palmer-former-f1-driver-turned-circuit-owner/|title=Me and My Motor: Jonathan Palmer, former F1 driver turned circuit owner|date=27 April 2018|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref> He went on to work as a doctor at Cuckfield 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,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.palmersport.com/about-palmersport/|title=PalmerSport &#124; About PalmerSport &#124; The world's greatest driving event|date=20 November 2019|website=PalmerSport|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120020855/https://www.palmersport.com/about-palmersport/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and landed a [[Williams F1|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.

===Formula One===
[[File:Zakspeed 841 Dr. Jonathan Palmer.jpg|thumb|right|Palmer driving for [[Zakspeed]] at the [[1985 German Grand Prix]]]]
Palmer joined [[Williams F1|Williams]] as a test driver for the 1982 and 1983 seasons whilst racing in F2, and made his Formula One debut at [[Brands Hatch]] on 25 September 1983, driving a [[Williams F1|Williams]] in the [[1983 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]]. This drive was a 'thank you' from [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] and [[Patrick Head]]. He finished 13th out of 26 starters. Moving to the Skoal Bandit [[RAM Racing|RAM]] March team in 1984, his six finishes yielded one 8th place, three 9th, one 10th, and one 13th. He joined [[Zakspeed]] in 1985, starting in eight races and retiring from all except the [[1985 Detroit Grand Prix]], where he finished 11th. Sixteen starts with the same team in 1986 resulted in eight retirements and a best finish of 8th in Detroit. At his [[1986 British Grand Prix|home race]] at Brands Hatch that year, Palmer used his qualified [[general practitioner]] skills to assist the extrication of [[Équipe Ligier|Ligier]] driver [[Jacques Laffite]] after Laffite suffered a career-ending crash on the opening lap.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racefans.net/2016/07/13/mansell-wins-piquets-car/|title=Mansell wins in Piquet’s car|website=racefans.net|first=Keith|last=Collantine|date=13 July 2016|accessdate=13 August 2024}}</ref>

In 1987, Palmer talked to [[McLaren]] team principal and co-owner [[Ron Dennis]] about becoming the team's No. 2 driver to double World Champion [[Alain Prost]]. Dennis ultimately signed [[Stefan Johansson]], and Palmer joined Tyrrell a week before the season's opening race in [[1987 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]]. Although outpaced by its turbocharged competitors, Tyrrell's naturally-aspirated Cosworth-powered car proved reliable, and it was nimble on tighter circuits. Palmer won championship points in three races, and it was in [[1987 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] that he achieved his career-best fourth-place finish. He also won the [[Jim Clark Cup]], a championship for drivers of [[normally aspirated engine|normally aspirated]] cars. He stayed with Tyrrell for the next two seasons, during which his best results were two 5th-place finishes and three 6th. At the end of 1989 he signed as McLaren's test driver.

===Sportscars===
[[File:Jonathan Palmer Ford RS200 Brands Hatch 1990 001.jpg|thumb|right|Palmer driving a [[Ford RS200]] at [[Brands Hatch]] in 1990.]]
Between 1983 and 1990 Palmer competed in the [[World Sportscar Championship]] at the wheel of a Group C Porsche. With co-driver [[Jan Lammers]] he won the [[1984 1000 km of Brands Hatch]]. At Le Mans, his best result from five starts was second place in [[1985 24 Hours of Le Mans|1985]], with co-drivers [[James Weaver (racing driver)|James Weaver]] and [[Richard Lloyd (racing driver)|Richard Lloyd]].

===Post F1===
In 1991 Palmer came seventh in the [[British Touring Car Championship]], driving a [[Prodrive]] [[BMW]]. Also that year he became a pit lane reporter for the [[BBC]] F1 commentary team. Following [[James Hunt]]'s death from a heart attack after the [[1993 Canadian Grand Prix]], Palmer joined the BBC commentary box alongside [[Murray Walker]]. At the end of 1996 the [[BBC]] lost the rights to broadcast F1, and in 1997 Palmer joined the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] for its annual commentary on the [[Grand Prix of Canada]].

===Road car development===
Palmer's work with McLaren included development of the [[McLaren F1]] road car, and he drove one to a record-breaking 231&nbsp;mph at the [[Nardò Ring|Nardo]] test track.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/McLaren-F1-drive-June-1994-Roger-Bell/|title=McLaren F1 review|publisher=[[Car (magazine)|Car]]|access-date=13 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109101728/http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/McLaren-F1-drive-June-1994-Roger-Bell/|archive-date=9 November 2012}}</ref>