Former Formula 1 driver and current F1TV commentator Jolyon Palmer experienced the raw power of a Supercars machine this week, taking the wheel of Anton De Pasquale’s #18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro at Albert Park ahead of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
Palmer, who competed in 35 Formula 1 Grands Prix for Renault in 2016 and 2017, completed several laps of the Melbourne street circuit as part of a feature being filmed for F1TV. The segment is expected to air in the lead-up to Sunday’s Grand Prix broadcast.
The session also gave Palmer the chance to experience the passenger seat, with De Pasquale taking him for a hot lap to demonstrate the grip and pace of the V8 Supercar around the temporary street circuit.
Palmer said the experience behind the wheel was markedly different to driving a Formula 1 car, particularly in terms of the physical nature of the Supercars machinery.
“That was a huge amount of fun. I had a run as a passenger last year and you could feel the grip and the speed, and it was really impressive,” Palmer said.
“But to actually get behind the wheel is very cool, trying to slide a little bit, trying to feel the limit of grip and feeling the power the car’s got as well.”
Palmer noted the Camaro’s characteristics contrasted sharply with the lightweight and highly sensitive Formula 1 cars he raced earlier in his career.
“It’s night and day different. It’s heavy, it’s got some grunt, it’s got power, braking distances are all earlier and the car is able to ride the kerbs a lot more. It’s also way more forgiving,” he said.
“I crashed last time I was here in Formula One, so I was trying to make sure I didn’t do the same in the last corner, but you can feel the car sliding a lot more and you can catch it. It was honestly so fun to drive.”
Palmer also credited Team 18 and De Pasquale for helping him quickly get comfortable in the unfamiliar machinery.
“The whole team has been super helpful, really letting me drive the car,” he said.
“And Anton as well for letting me drive his car, sitting in and also giving me loads of pointers. He’s obviously driving at the top of his game now, so learning from him and getting a few pointers over those laps was quite helpful so I wasn’t starting from absolutely nothing.”
De Pasquale said it was clear Palmer’s Formula 1 experience translated quickly to the Supercars environment.
“He built up to it really well in the first lap. I think we had two laps or something, and by the end he was pushing pretty hard,” De Pasquale said.
“You can tell when you’re with someone who’s driven at a high level, they start feeling the tyre and they get pretty comfortable pretty quickly.”
De Pasquale admitted he was initially unsure what the ride would feel like from the passenger seat around the fast Albert Park circuit.
“At first you don’t know what to expect, and especially here it’s so fast and there are a few walls,” he said.
“But he was really good. He had a lot of respect for the car and he wasn’t going to push too hard and get out of his comfort zone. He’s a great driver and we had a heap of fun.”
The filming session also involved 2010 Supercars champion James Courtney, now a Team 18 co-driver and Supercars broadcaster, who captured additional content for the Supercars broadcast scheduled for Sunday.
The appearance comes as Team 18 prepares for Round 2 of the Repco Supercars Championship at Albert Park, with De Pasquale arriving in Melbourne after securing victory in Race 2 at Sydney Motorsport Park.
