OCTOBER 7, 2017

Sainz to join Renault in Austin

Renault has announced that Jolyon Palmer will leave the team following the Japanese GP, and his place will be taken by Carlos Sainz for the rest of the season.

Carlos Sainz, Japanese GP 2017
© RV Press

Renault has announced that Jolyon Palmer will leave the team following the Japanese GP, and his place will be taken by Carlos Sainz for the rest of the 2017 season.

Daniil Kvyat will re-join Toro Rosso, alongside Pierre Gasly.

Jolyon Palmer said, "The Japanese Grand Prix will be my last race for Renault. It's been an extremely challenging season and I've been through a lot in the last three years, but it's been a tremendous journey overall with the team. I can look back proudly at the performance in the second half of last season, my first point in Malaysia and of course reaching a career high of sixth place in Singapore this year. I wish the team all the best for the future. My immediate focus is now on achieving the best possible result in the Japanese GP, and then I can assess my options for the future."

Carlos Sainz said, "First of all I would like to thank Toro Rosso and Red Bull for allowing me the possibility of finishing this season with Renault Sport Racing. More specifically, I really want to thank all my engineers and mechanics for their support and tremendous work throughout these years. Toro Rosso is made up of a fantastic group of people and I wish them only the best for the future. On my side, I will definitely do my very best in tomorrow's race... this would be the best possible send-off! Additionally, competing in these last four races with Renault gives me a good opportunity to get to know the team and the car earlier than expected. I am looking forward to start working with them."

Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport Managing Director said, "I would like to thank Jolyon for his commitment to the team and his professionalism. Since Renault's return to Formula 1, Jolyon has been highly dedicated in an evolving environment. He has shown great personal qualities and we wish him all the best in his future career."

Franz Tost, Toro Rosso Team Principal said, "I would like to thank Carlos for all his efforts over almost three Formula 1 seasons. He always did his very best, demonstrating an excellent attitude and commitment to his work, which helped him and us to get some great results during that time. Therefore, on behalf of everyone at Toro Rosso, I wish him all the very best with his new team. We look forward to beating him on track!"