The outcome is clear and the comparison cruel: Nico H\u00fclkenberg has outperformed his teammate in all six qualifying sessions and scored 18 points compared to 0 for the Briton.<\/p>\n
During the weekend in Monaco, there were even whispers that this could be the British driver’s last Grand Prix with the Renault team, which aims to fight for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship and thus needs two drivers capable of scoring points.<\/p>\n
However, Jolyon Palmer is still present in Azerbaijan. That doesn’t mean he feels completely confident. In an interview with the BBC, he points out his main weakness: \u00ab I think it’s my pace in qualifying. It makes us start the race backwards. \u00bb<\/p>\n
But when he is asked about how he is handling this rough patch, it quickly becomes apparent that the driver is on edge and the breaking point is near: \u00ab By avoiding these little interviews with the BBC. It’s not ideal to arrive on Thursday and have people come up to you saying, “You are performing so poorly. How are you going to change things? What are you going to do? \u00bb<\/p>\n
Seeing his team conduct a private test session with Sergey Sirotkin, the team’s third driver, and even Robert Kubica, who hadn’t been in an F1 car for six years, certainly doesn’t help the driver’s confidence. Yet mental strength and self-confidence are essential elements for performing well on track.<\/p>\n