Renault has dismissed speculation Jolyon Palmer is in danger of losing his race seat.
In the same week that Red Bull demoted Daniil Kvyat, rumours continued to circulate that rookie Palmer, the 2014 GP2 champion, was in danger of losing his Renault seat to a young team charger like Sergey Sirotkin or Esteban Ocon.
Frenchman Ocon, the reigning GP3 champion and 2014 European F3 title winner, will even drive Briton Palmer’s yellow car in Friday practice next week in Spain.
But team boss Frederic Vasseur - Ocon’s team boss in GP3 last year - insisted: "We have a strong lineup and one we’re happy with and committed to.
"Kevin (Magnussen) has performed very well in his return to formula one and Jolyon is approaching his rookie season in a clear and methodical manner.
"It’s true that Jolyon had a couple of races where he didn’t deliver as he wanted, equally this is natural in a driver’s first season," Vasseur said.
"He’s learning and making strong progress."