Jolyon Palmer will head to Sepang ahead of this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix following a week of intense preparation with Lotus F1 Team. The Third and Reserve driver for the Enstone-based squad spent two days last week in the team's simulator refining set-up and gathering data.

Alongside his work in the factory, Jolyon has been working hard on his fitness and physical readiness with his personal trainer Alex Stott ahead of one of the toughest events on the Formula One calendar. Temperatures in Malaysia regularly pass 30 degrees centigrade with high humidity, providing a stern challenge for both the drivers and the cars.

It was a disappointing weekend for the team at the first race in Melbourne as both drivers suffered issues on the opening lap of the Australian Grand Prix; Pastor Maldonado getting caught up in a melee at the first corner and Romain Grosjean being forced into retirement with a mechanical issue.

Jolyon was busy with both his Lotus duties and extra-curricular commitments throughout the weekend, including a stint in the Sky Sports F1 commentary box alongside David Croft. Providing analysis for the 90-minute Friday Free Practice Two session, he had plenty to discuss including the Sauber driver saga, the issues facing Manor Marussia and the speed of the Mercedes cars.

Jolyon said: "It has been a very busy week in the UK since the first race in Melbourne. I have been at the Lotus F1 Team factory in Enstone for a couple of days working on the simulator and I have also been working hard to prepare myself physically. After a short turnaround, it is time to head off to Malaysia for the second round of the season. There were a number of positives to come out of the Grand Prix in Australia so I am confident that this will be a good race for the team."