Jonathan Palmer is a racing driver from United Kingdom who last raced in Formula 1 for Tyrrell. Palmer has recorded 0 wins and 0 podiums from 84 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 4,890 ranks Palmer 387th of 15,348 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the low five figures. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 1989-10-22 | Suzuka Circuit | DNF | −113 |
| 1989-10-01 | Circuito de Jerez | P10 | +41 |
| 1989-09-24 | Autódromo do Estoril | P6 | +97 |
| 1989-09-10 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | DNF | −67 |
| 1989-08-27 | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | P14 | −4 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | ▸Formula 1 | Tyrrell | 15 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | P23 | +95 | 4,979 |
| 1988 | ▸Formula 1 | Tyrrell | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | P13 | −291 | 4,884 |
| 1987 | ▸Formula 1 | Tyrrell | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | P11 | +739 | 5,174 |
| 1986 | ▸Formula 1 | Zakspeed | 16 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | P20 | +385 | 4,435 |
| 1985 | ▸Formula 1 | Zakspeed | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | P21 | −591 | 4,050 |
| 1984 | ▸Formula 1 | RAM | 14 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | P21 | −173 | 4,640 |
| 1983 | ▸Formula 1 | Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P21 | +14 | 4,814 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 Alain Prost | 6,204 | 39 | 3 | 36 | 8% |
| 🇧🇷 Ayrton Senna | 5,691 | 29 | 1 | 28 | 3% |
| 🇧🇪 Thierry Boutsen | 4,852 | 28 | 3 | 25 | 11% |
| 🇧🇷 Nelson Piquet | 5,153 | 27 | 1 | 26 | 4% |
| 🇬🇧 Nigel Mansell | 5,716 | 23 | 1 | 22 | 4% |
| 🇬🇧 Derek Warwick | 4,993 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 20% |
| 🇸🇪 Stefan Johansson | 4,997 | 19 | 3 | 16 | 16% |
| 🇫🇷 René Arnoux | 4,563 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 37% |
| 🇮🇹 Riccardo Patrese | 5,627 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 39% |
| 🇺🇸 Eddie Cheever | 5,298 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 24% |
Jonathan Palmer competed in Formula 1 from 1983 to 1989 as a driver for Tyrrell, accumulating 84 starts without winning or podium finishes. His career spanned the turbocharged era and placed him in direct competition with several of the era's leading drivers. Palmer's average finishing position was 9.4, marking him as a consistent midfield competitor in a field dominated by front-runners. He faced repeated competition from champions including Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Nelson Piquet, drivers rated substantially higher than his own Racer Rating of 4,890. Across 39 shared races with Prost, Palmer finished ahead on three occasions; he similarly managed isolated victories over Senna, Mansell, and Gerhard Berger, though these represent exceptions in heavily one-sided head-to-head records rather than competitive patterns.[1]
Palmer's inability to break through to the podium in his single-seater career reflects the depth of talent in Formula 1 during this period and the competitive gap between the grid's elite and its midfield tier. His Tyrrell entry, part of a team that produced Jackie Stewart as its strongest-ever driver, provided a platform typical of the era's smaller outfits. Derek Warwick, another driver of Palmer's approximate rating, proved to be his most evenly matched rival, with Palmer finishing ahead in four of their twenty encounters. Palmer's final season in 1989 saw him complete fifteen rounds without reaching the points, leading to his retirement from Formula 1 after seven years in the category.[2]