Jolyon Palmer insists he has no cause for concern over his Formula One future despite mounting speculation he could be replaced by Renault following an underwhelming start to the season.
Palmer, the 26-year-old Briton, has yet to score a single point in his second campaign in the sport and has been out-qualified by team-mate Nico Hulkenberg at every round of the season so far.
Indeed, while Palmer is yet to open his points-scoring tally, Hulkenberg has finished inside the top 10 at four of the last five races.
Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul did little to ease the growing pressure on Palmer by demanding that he start scoring points in order to ease the burden on Hulkenberg. Abiteboul also warned the Englishman that his seat for the remainder of the campaign could be under threat.
But Palmer, speaking ahead of Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix here on the streets of Baku, moved to downplay the Frenchman's remarks.
"I have no concerns [about the seat]," Palmer said. "I am focused on my own performance. I am focused on the weekend and focused on getting points and having a strong weekend here.
"Nothing changes. I will try my best. I am here in Baku so I will just focus on that."
Palmer, the former GP2 champion and son of ex-Formula One driver Jonathan Palmer, looked set to exit the sport after just one season.
But a surge in his performances towards the end of the campaign earned him a new one-year deal with the French manufacturer.
Palmer, however, has struggled to keep pace with Hulkenberg this year, while a number of mechanical issues have also blighted his campaign.
Sebastian Buemi, the former Toro Rosso driver now racing in Formula E, and Renault's Russian reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin have been mooted as possible candidates for Palmer's seat.
Source: PA
