Daniil Kvyat insists he is not making a last-ditch effort to hang onto his place in Formula 1.
The Russian qualified seventh in Abu Dhabi, calling it the best qualifying lap of his career.
However, he fully expects Alpha Tauri’s owner Red Bull to replace him for 2021 with Honda-backed rookie Yuki Tsunoda.
Kvyat says his surge in form since Imola is not linked with a drop in pressure since the Tsunoda news began to break.
"I don’t think there is any connection there," he said. "In Formula 1, you always strive for good results, not just for the immediate future but for the more distant future.
"At that time I didn’t know about Tsunoda anyway, and even now, apparently we do not know it since there is no official confirmation."
When asked if his current form would have helped Dr Helmut Marko to make a different decision about 2021 some months ago, Kvyat answered: "I don’t know, but it could have helped.
"You always want to start a season well, but I don’t want to talk about it now because Pierre (Gasly) had a great season. I like that I made progress by the end, but as for the team’s decision? I don’t know.
"I repeat: the fact that I continue to attack is not for next year. All of these results are important for me to be able to return to Formula 1 in 2022."