Petrov not worried about future at Renault

Although the Russian has a contract in place for next year, that has not stopped rumours that he could be replaced if Renault changes owners or the team needs to find a spot for a sponsor-backed driver.

The stories were further fuelled when team principal Eric Boullier said at Monza about the Petrov situation: "You have contracts, but there is also some exit clause for everybody."

Petrov has laughed off talk that his place is under threat, though, and reckoned too much had been read into Boullier's comments.

"I think everything is fine, it is just rubbish in the newspapers. Like we have spoken before, at the beginning of the season we signed for two years and I don't see the point to be worried."

When asked about Boullier's comment that every contract has exit clauses, Petrov said: "Everywhere in the world a contract can be finished but not because I did a bad season or because I had fewer points, the contract can be finished by another particular thing - money. This is why he said it; if you ask him a different question maybe he can answer differently.

"For me and people who know what I am doing I think it is rubbish to talk about this, although maybe I am not right."

Petrov believes that his standing in the team has improved this year, after the team realised how much he had lifted his game compared to last season.

"I think they thought [Nick] Heidfeld would take a big role like [Robert] Kubica, but then they start to understand from the beginning of the year that I can do things better. And for qualifying I did a lot of improvements, but sometimes we had bad luck.

"Now when they bring some new parts they always put them on my car to test or to try them, and then I tell them the feedback how was it."