Jonathan Palmer

Jonathan Palmer
Born	(1956-11-07) November 7, 1956 Lewisham, London, England
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, motorsport executive, commentator
Years active	1983–1989 (Formula One)
Known for	Formula One driver, CEO of MotorSport Vision, McLaren F1 development

Jonathan Charles Palmer (born 7 November 1956) is a retired British racing driver, motorsport executive, and commentator who participated in Formula One from 1983 to 1989.

Initially qualified as a physician at London's Guy's Hospital, Palmer practiced as a junior doctor prior to embarking on a career in motor racing. During his Formula One tenure, he represented teams such as Tyrrell, Williams, RAM, and Zakspeed, accumulating 14 Championship points over 83 race entries. Between 1983 and 1990, he also competed in Group C sports car events, notably winning the 1984 1000 km of Brands Hatch alongside Jan Lammers and finishing runner-up at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-drivers James Weaver and Richard Lloyd.

Palmer played a role in the development of the McLaren F1 road vehicle and established a production car speed record driving it. He is the principal shareholder and Chief Executive Officer of MotorSport Vision (MSV), which manages six British racing circuits, organizes the PalmerSport corporate driving experience at Bedford Autodrome, and oversees various racing series including the British Superbikes and GB3. His son, Jolyon, also competed in Formula One from 2014 to 2016.

Racing career

Jonathan Charles Palmer was born on 7 November 1956 in Lewisham, London, England.

Early career

Palmer attended Brighton College before competing in club races driving an Austin Healey Sprite and a Marcos while studying medicine at Guy's Hospital. After qualifying as a doctor, he balanced medical work with racing in Formula Ford between 1978 and 1980. He claimed the title in the British Formula 3 Championship in 1981 and earned a test drive with the Williams Formula One team in 1982. The subsequent year saw him crowned European Formula Two Champion and awarded the prestigious British Racing Drivers' Club Gold Star.

Formula One

Palmer served as Williams' test driver during 1982 and 1983 while competing in Formula Two. He made his Formula One debut at the Brands Hatch circuit on 25 September 1983 during the 1983 European Grand Prix, an opportunity provided by Frank Williams and Patrick Head. He finished 13th out of 26 entrants. In the following season, Palmer drove for Skoal Bandit-backed RAM March, completing six races with a best finish of eighth place. In 1985, he joined the Zakspeed team, starting eight Grands Prix but finishing only once, placing eleventh at the 1985 Detroit Grand Prix. The 1986 season saw him participate in sixteen events for Zakspeed, retiring from half of them; his top result was eighth place again in Detroit. Notably, during the 1986 British Grand Prix, Palmer utilized his medical background to provide assistance to Jacques Laffite after a serious accident.

In early 1987, after talks with McLaren's Ron Dennis regarding a potential role as number two driver behind Alain Prost, Palmer signed with Tyrrell shortly before the season commenced. Despite Tyrrell's naturally aspirated Cosworth engine lacking power compared to turbocharged competitors, their car was dependable and performed well on tighter tracks. Palmer earned points in three races that year, achieving his best career finish of fourth at the 1987 Australian Grand Prix. He was also awarded the inaugural Jim Clark Cup, recognizing drivers using normally aspirated engines. Palmer continued with Tyrrell through to 1989, securing two fifth-place finishes and three sixth-place results. At the conclusion of that year, he accepted a position as McLaren's test driver.

Sportscars

From 1983 through 1990, Palmer took part in the World Sportscar Championship piloting a Group C Porsche. Teaming up with co-driver Jan Lammers, he secured victory at the 1984 1000 km of Brands Hatch. Among his five appearances at Le Mans, his top achievement was finishing second in the 1985 race, alongside James Weaver and Richard Lloyd.

Post F1

In 1991, Palmer competed in the British Touring Car Championship, driving a Prodrive-prepared BMW and ended the season seventh overall. That same year marked his debut as a pit lane reporter for the BBC’s Formula One coverage. Following the passing of James Hunt in 1993, Palmer joined the commentary team alongside Murray Walker. When the BBC lost the rights to broadcast F1 in 1996, Palmer transitioned to the CBC to cover the annual Grand Prix of Canada.

Road car development

Palmer played a role in developing the iconic McLaren F1 road vehicle, famously setting a record speed of 231 mph at the Nardo test circuit behind the wheel.

Business career

Established in 1991, PalmerSport began by providing corporate motorsport hospitality events at Bruntingthorpe airfield before acquiring and transforming the facility now called Bedford Autodrome. Opened in 1999, Bedford features four distinct circuits spanning six miles and serves as PalmerSport’s permanent headquarters and a popular location for track day events.

In 1998, Palmer introduced the Formula Palmer Audi Championship as an affordable alternative to Formula 3. The first champion, Justin Wilson, went on to claim the Formula 3000 title; Palmer managed Wilson’s career and orchestrated an innovative share issue that enabled him to secure a Formula One seat with Minardi.

Together with John Britten and Sir Peter Ogden, Palmer acquired four UK racing circuits—Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton, and Cadwell Park—from Octagon in 2004 under the umbrella of MotorSport Vision (MSV). MSV invested significantly in upgrading these venues, enhancing both facilities and spectator amenities. Particularly notable was Snetterton’s near-total redesign in 2011, which introduced new corners and expanded viewing areas.

As Chief Executive of MSV, Palmer oversaw operations including the Formula Palmer Audi series, secured commercial rights for the British Superbike Championship, and managed the FIA Formula Two Championship between 2009 and 2012. Currently, MSV runs the GB3 and GB4 Championships alongside numerous club racing series through MSVR.

In 2009, MSV purchased freehold rights over an 800-acre site at Bedford Autodrome and launched Bedford Aerodrome as a licensed airfield in 2010. In 2015, MSV acquired a former military airbase near Laon, France, with plans to develop it into a significant international motorsport facility.

MSV expanded further by acquiring Donington Park in 2017 and initiated a multi-million-pound refurbishment program that included new hospitality suites, resurfacing paddocks and internal roads, plus constructing a new grandstand to improve spectator comfort.

On 30 September 2022, MSV succeeded in acquiring Circuito de Navarra located in northern Spain. Following purchase, initial enhancements were completed such as upgrading race control with modern screens and CCTV systems along with exterior refurbishments of key structures. These improvements elevated Navarra’s standing as one of Spain’s leading motorsport venues with FIA Grade 1T and Grade 2 certifications.

Personal life

Jonathan Charles Palmer entered the world on 7 November 1956, in Lewisham, London, England.

Both of his sons have established themselves in the world of motorsport. Jolyon Palmer, who secured the GP2 Series title in 2014, competed with the RenaultSport Formula One Team during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and currently serves as a commentator and writer for BBC Sport F1. Meanwhile, his younger son Will Palmer earned the BRDC F4 Championship crown, received the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2015, and achieved second place in the 2017 Renault Eurocup.

In addition to his sons, Palmer has two daughters: Emily, who works professionally as an accountant, and Alice, who is engaged in competitive equestrian showjumping.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
1980	Formula Ford 1600	N/A	?	?	?	?	?	42	6th
1981	British Formula Three	West Surrey Racing	19	7	6	9	14	126	1st
	European Formula Three		1	0	0	0	1	4	13th
	European Touring Car Championship	GTI Engineering	1	0	0	0	0	0	NC
1982	European Formula Two	Ralt Racing	11	0	1	0	1	10	9th
	World Sportscar Championship	Richard Lloyd Racing	3	0	0	0	0	10	46th
	European Touring Car Championship	Bastos Juma Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	NC

^† Winner of the Jim Clark Cup for naturally aspirated vehicles.

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

((key)) (Entries in bold signify pole position; italicized races represent fastest lap)

Template:F2Template:F2

Full Formula One Results

( key) (Races shown in italics denote fastest lap)

... [Table continues with comparable formatting and data for following years]

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Pts
1983	TAG Williams Team	Williams FW08C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	BRA	USW	FRA	SMR	MON	BEL	DET	CAN	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	> EUR	RSA		NC	0

^† Awarded first place in the Jim Clark Cup, designated for naturally aspirated vehicles.

Complete British Saloon / Touring Car Championship Results

(key) (Bold indicates pole position – class-based in 1983) (Italics signify fastest lap – one point granted for all races in 1983, class-based)

Year	Team	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	DC	Pts	Class
1983	Cheylesmore BMW Motorsport	BMW 635CSi	A	SIL	OUL	THR	BRH	THR	SIL	DON	SIL	DON	BRH	SIL ovr:5 cls:5					30th	2	14th
1991	BMW Team Finance	BMW M3		SIL 7	SNE Ret	DON Ret	THR 6	SIL 11Template:Ref	BRH 6	SIL 5	DON 4	DON 3	OUL 5	BRH 7	BRH 6	DON Template:Small Ret	THR Template:Small2	SIL Template:Small21	7th	66

1. – Race was halted due to severe weather conditions. No points were allocated.

Full European Touring Car Championship Results

(legend) (Races shown in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	DC	Points
1981	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall GTi Engineering	nowrap | Audi 80 GLE	Autodromo Nazionale Monza	ACI Vallelunga Circuit	Donington Park	Salzburgring	Masaryk Circuit	Autodromo di Pergusa	style="background:#CFCFFF;" | Silverstone Circuit 8†	Circuit Zolder	colspan=4 |	NC	0
1982	Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Juma Racing	nowrap | BMW 528i	Autodromo Nazionale Monza	ACI Vallelunga Circuit	Donington Park	Autodromo di Pergusa	Mugello Circuit	Masaryk Circuit	Salzburgring	Nürburgring	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	style="background:#CFCFFF;" | Silverstone Circuit 18	Circuit Zolder		NC	0
1983	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Autosport & Design	nowrap |BMW 635CSi	Autodromo Nazionale Monza	ACI Vallelunga Circuit	Donington Park	Autodromo di Pergusa	Mugello Circuit	Masaryk Circuit	Red Bull Ring	Nürburgring	Salzburgring	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	style="background:#DFDFDF;" |Silverstone Circuit 2†	Circuit Zolder		NC	0
1988	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Andy Rouse#Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing Kaliber Racing	nowrap |Ford Sierra RS Cosworth	Autodromo Nazionale Monza	Donington Park	Autódromo do Estoril	Circuito del Jarama	Dijon-Prenois	Vallelunga Circuit	Nürburgring	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	Circuit Zolder	style="background:#CFCFFF;" |Silverstone Circuit 6†	Circuit Paul Armagnac		NC	0

† Ineligible for points.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Vehicle	Class	Laps Completed	Overall Position	Class Position
1983	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Canon Racing / Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall GTi Engineering (Richard Lloyd Racing)	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jan Lammers / Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Richard Lloyd	Porsche 956	C	339	8th	8th
1984	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall GTi Engineering (Richard Lloyd Racing)	Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jan Lammers	Porsche 956	C1	239	DNF	DNF
1985	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Richard Lloyd Racing	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall James Weaver / Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Richard Lloyd	Porsche 956 GTi	C1	371	2nd	2nd
1987	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Liqui Moly Equipe (Richard Lloyd Racing)	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall James Weaver / Price Cobb	Porsche 962C GTi	C1	112	DNF	DNF
1990	Joest Racing	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Bob Wollek / Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Philippe Alliot	Porsche 962C	C1	–	DNS	DNS
1991	Team Sauber Mercedes-Benz	Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Stanley Dickens / Template:Country data DENTemplate:Namespace detect showall Kurt Thiim	Mercedes-Benz C11	C1	223	DNF	DNF

External links

• MotorSport Vision official site
• Brighton College Hall of Fame entry
• Grand Prix Encyclopedia profile
• Palmer Sport website
• Archived McLaren F1 driving experience article