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Renault issues clear warning to Jolyon Palmer

The pressure is on for Jolyon Palmer, with Renault's Cyril Abiteboul saying that the Brit "has to deliver" and start scoring points on a regular basis.

Palmer has failed to achieve a top-ten finish this year while Renault team mate has finished four times in the points but has also outqualified Palmer by a comfortable margin and on a regular basis.

The Brit's under-performance has clearly put his seat at the French team in jeopardy.

Palmer is clearly lost, with no turnaround in sight

"F1 is not an environment where anyone can say loudly, 'I'm safe'," insists Abiteboul.

"To a certain degree there are two questions. There is Jo, and there is a second driver. Right now my focus is on Jo. Jo has to deliver.

"What would happen then, I don't want to elaborate on that, and even further, who would be stepping in, because that's absolutely not the point for today.

"The fact is that Jo has a car which is a point-scoring car, and he has to enter into the points. Full stop."

While there does not appear to be a deadline delivered to Palmer, the next few races will likely seal the 26-year-old's fate.

"I would hope that by the summer break I would be able to leave on holiday in sixth position in the championship," Abiteboul added.

The Renault Sport F1 boss conceded that Palmer has endured some bad luck, but the observation takes nothing away unfortunately from the reality of his results.

Abiteboul also considers that the void left by Palmer's performance has unfairly put all the pressure to score points on Nico Hulkenberg's shoulders.

"The first thing we had to do was deliver him a weekend that was a clean weekend, and we did that in Monaco.

"It was the first time in a while that we'd done that, and for me that weekend was almost a restart for the season for the relationship between Jo and the team, that is finally providing him the right platform in order for him to improve his game, and hopefully eventually to deliver.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.