Theo Palmer secures double podium on Formula Trophy debut
Round 1 - Dubai - Preview
New signing Theo Palmer impressed on his Hitech debut, having scored a victory and a second-place finish in Dubai during the opening round of the Formula Trophy series. The British-UAE driver was delighted with his performances at his home circuit, standing on the podium twice in the series opener.
Theo Palmer:
“This first event at the Dubai Autodrome is definitely one to remember. I’m extremely proud of both my own progress and the team’s hard work. This weekend I took big steps forward in my racecraft and confidence and to come away with a win and another podium at my home circuit feels incredible. A huge thank you to Hitech for the support. I can’t wait to get back in the car at Yas Marina for Round 2.”
Theo started Race 1 on Saturday afternoon third on the grid and made a strong start to move up to second on the long run down to Turn 1. He briefly had a look at challenging for the lead, but with an early Safety Car, slotted into second place. With the sun setting across the back of the circuit, he drove a measured race to end the opening race on the podium. Following the application of post-race penalties, he claimed a maiden Hitech victory.
Early on Sunday morning, the 15-year-old started the Reverse Grid race in seventh and made another strong start to run in P6 at the end of the first lap. Despite losing a place at Turn 1 later in the race, he made the position back again to finish sixth. Just two places behind him, his team-mate Scott Kin Lindblom was classified eighth.
The Red Bull Junior Team driver had finished Race 1 in the same position on the road, but was handed a five-second time penalty by the stewards for forcing another driver off the track in a bold defensive move. That put him P11 in the final standings, and unfortunately for Scott, he was involved in a first-turn incident at the start of Race 3 that caused him to spin out.
The final race of the weekend was another eventful encounter for Theo, who started on the front row of the grid. He was challenging for the lead at Turn 1, but ran wide and lost momentum, causing him to lose a couple of positions. But he kept his cool to claw back the lost places. He later made a brilliant move at the end of the back straight to take third, and in the closing laps, made another excellent pass to secure second.
Theo added:
“I think this is the best race I’ve ever driven, to be honest. I couldn’t quite believe the move I made on the guy in P4; even I was quite shocked in the car. We managed to fight our way back from P5, and I just kept my head cool throughout the race and managed the temperatures of the tyres.”
Scott Kin Lindblom:
“It was a tough opening weekend and I experienced a few issues, in particular in the last race when I got hit at Turn 1 after being fourth. I'm hoping for a better time in Abu Dhabi, where we will bring all the positives from Dubai with us.”