The F1 outcast who became a surprise star in 2018

"I wasn't fussed about racing this year at all. I lost quite a lot of passion for racing because of the way the whole atmosphere was. I stopped enjoying what I was doing. It soured my feeling for driving, my desire. Which was a shame, because it was all I'd grown up wanting to do."

Elite competition is meant to be difficult, but sapping someone's enthusiasm and love for the sport that enchanted them as a child is a sad and harsh consequence when it goes badly wrong.

Formula 1 is a particularly ruthless place that chews up and spits out drivers for fun. Jolyon Palmer was its chief victim in 2017, culminating in his exit from F1 with four races of the season still to go. Carlos Sainz Jr took his Renault seat, and Palmer went off the grid - figuratively and literally, happily avoiding racing cars and media like the plague.

"I had some offers to do some bits and bobs over the winter but nothing that was too interesting to me," Palmer tells Autosport as he opens up about life after F1.

The 27-year-old is a different man to the one burdened with the pressures of a struggling F1 campaign. He jokes he is bigger around the waistline now. It is a small but telling quip: Palmer is a happy person revelling in the unexpected position of being in the grand prix paddock in 2018 but not being a racing driver.

This year, as you may have heard on the radio or via the official F1 app, Palmer's working for the BBC as a pundit for its 5 Live coverage. A former driver turning to a media career is nothing new, and it's even something Palmer's own father Jonathan did when his grand prix career ended 30-odd years ago. But if it sounds like an obvious transition, it wasn't at the time.

Nobody would blame Palmer if he had some soul-searching to do after his F1 career ended with just two points finishes in 35 starts. Given what he went through, some time away at the very least was certainly fair enough. Palmer is not a 'woe is me' kind of guy, but he admits he was sick of being around F1 at the back end of 2017.

"I'm not bitter about not being out there, because I'm not interested" Jolyon Palmer

"When I stopped in Japan it was not a pleasant place to be for me and I didn't have any intention of going back," he says. "When I got home I quietly accepted what happened and I was immediately OK.

"I wasn't fussed about watching the races at the end of last year, and for somebody who has grown up watching every F1 race since I was a kid, it was a little strange to have it a little soured.

"That's why I'm not bitter about not being out there, because I'm not interested. So, it's easy to let things go. And I'm happy doing what I'm doing."

Palmer has some history with media work. He joined his now BBC co-commentator Jack Nicholls on a race broadcast for the previous MotorSport Vision FIA Formula 2 series back in 2011, and picked up some GP2 and F1 practice work with Sky and the BBC respectively during his stint as Lotus's reserve driver in '15.

Palmer quickly garnered a reputation as a shrewd, insightful observer who would not mince his words. But he wasn't seeking out his new BBC role.

"It sort of came to me," he explains. "When I stopped F1 in October I didn't think I'd be back in any form in 2018 at all. I thought I'd move on from it really.

"I got a call from the BBC over the winter to come and do it. It stacked up with what I wanted to do, so I thought, 'Why not?'"

Racing is what Palmer knows. Ignoring his Lotus reserve-driver role, he reckons this is his first racing-free season since he was 12. It's released some shackles and let him enjoy himself again, which in turn has given F1 a surprise off-track star.

Palmer's appointment thrilled his new colleagues immediately.

"I was surprised because I never really considered him - you just kind of assume he's not going to be available because he's a racing driver," says Nicholls. "But when I heard he was doing all the races, I thought that's brilliant because what we've lacked is consistency and it's a bloody coup for us to have him."

Palmer has a major strength in that he's no different on-air to how he is off it. He was refreshingly open as an F1 driver and unafraid to share an opinion that was very often justified and unquestionably honest. That is the same now. His exit from F1 has not blurred his vision, so there's no biased view of the likes of Renault or Sainz. There is no haughty 'I should be there' vibe.

"Even as I left F1 I wasn't bitter about what happened," says Palmer. "The world I was in was a little bit soured from my own personal point of view, but I would never really hold a grudge.

"Now I just call things as I see it. I've always been quite opinionated, I've always called things straight - sometimes that's come back to bite me in the arse with some juicy headlines while I was driving!

"It makes a better commentary really, but I'm not bitter at all - everything done in the past is done, I'm pretty laidback. I don't really care about it."

With a new role has come a new perspective. Palmer says F1 is now "a much nicer place to be" for him and you can tell he is revelling in seeing his previous life in a new light.

"Not all racing drivers who turn into commentators are necessarily dedicated" Jack Nicholls

Drivers take different approaches with the media. Some are very open, as Palmer was. Some can be cagey and withdrawn. The rest are dotted along the spectrum between.

"The main thing is you can see how much the drivers have to rein stuff in with interviews," Palmer notes. "It can stifle personalities a lot. You have to be very careful with what you say, there's a corporate line and it's difficult to be outspoken. Occasionally people are and that's good. I enjoy saying what I think. My role with the BBC is a nice way to do that."

Opinions aside, Palmer's strongest attribute as a pundit is that he talks to comment and inform, not just to be heard. That Palmer has been a great addition to the F1 broadcasting community is probably not a surprise to those who experienced his GP2 and early F1 work, thanks to some quiet but very important qualities.

"What has probably surprised me is the level he intellectually engages with what we're trying to achieve," says Nicholls. "The level he thinks, 'Right, I'm on the radio, so I need to describe the sound they are hearing or what's happening in a corner more than if I was on TV'.

"A lot of drivers will turn up, say their thing, and that's it. He goes beyond that. He was known in F1 for being first into the track, last out. It's that dedication that has been pleasantly surprising because not all racing drivers who turn into commentators are necessarily dedicated."

Palmer has adapted swiftly to the nuances of being a broadcaster and particularly his format, which is primarily to speak for people who do not have images. Nicholls is impressed by this facet of Palmer's work, citing 5 Live's audience as "a real split between hardcore and the most casual you can be" and also highlights how "incredible fortunate" the BBC is to have someone who can break down this incredibly complex era of F1.

Palmer has a painfully difficult balance to strike, but he is able to pick what strands of his own insight are relevant and releases them in a manner that does not overwhelm the audience. Assumed knowledge can be a terrible pitfall, but Palmer escapes this almost effortlessly.

"We're generally broader with explaining things, rather than the nitty-gritty," he says. "But there are times you can get into that more - it's just feeling the session and what's going on in terms of the depth of information given. Before the season the BBC explained how they wanted it to work. I could go into a lot more detail, but it's not really great for the listener."

Knowing that he's doing the job for other people, not for his own ego, is a huge part of Palmer's appeal. He hit the ground running in Australia and while he says the team has worked to refine elements of the broadcast since then, there's not been major surgery.

That is evident in the overwhelmingly positive reception Palmer has had. One year ago he was on the receiving end of very blunt criticism. Now, people go out of their way to compliment the job he's doing.

It serves to highlight the significance of having engaging, insightful analysis and input in F1 broadcasting even at a time when a lot of content feels dumbed down to try to attract a supposedly disengaged or easily bored younger audience.

Palmer's response to the praise he has received professionally and from fans is understated, which is no great surprise. Nor is hearing that he is "not fussed about coming back right now". He admits that "if there's a great offer to come back and do something then I would never say never", but Palmer is a survivor of the F1 bubble and doesn't want to get trapped again.

"Genuinely, the outside life is more enjoyable for me," he says. "It's an intense life in F1, and you do get a day here or there to be 'normal'. In the summer break you maybe get a week to be 'normal'. From February to December you are working all the time, so strict with everything.

"It's worth it because it's a cool job, it's the pinnacle of the sport and it's what I wanted to achieve. I would not change that at all. But at the same time there are positives of not being there because I get to spend more time with my friends and family and start something different."

Chances are you didn't give much thought to Palmer when he was flicked last October. It's the same story for every driver that ends up cast aside: F1 moves on while its latest victim picks themselves up, tries to make sense of what's happened and works out how to move on.

Some can, but many can't and given Palmer's stint in F1 was often tumultuous, and he came under intense scrutiny at times, it would have been easy for him to turn his back and walk away a spiteful, wounded man.

That's not his style, and full credit to him for what he's achieved so far as an ex-F1 driver. It's a truly valuable victory that he's found joy in the very place that left him so disillusioned only a year ago.