Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr has been warned to quickly improve, or else he will find himself out of a job.
Piquet has yet to score a point in his rookie season, and has managed to qualify only once in the top 10 from five grands prix.
Piquet could only manage 17th in qualifying in Sunday's race in Turkey, before taking the chequered flag 15th of 17 finishers at the Istanbul Park circuit.
It has so far been a tough baptism for the 22-year-old, and the pressure is now on for the young Brazilian to start delivering.
"We saw last year with Heikki (Kovalainen), he had a difficult start to the season and was able to turn it around and I think Nelson has to do the same," said Renault sporting director Steve Nielsen.
"But I think rather than say he's had a disastrous start to the season, it's a bit of a curate's egg - there are good bits and bad bits.
"He needs to start having more good bits than the bad bits, and he needs to start doing that as soon as he can.
"F1 is a business, a very cut-throat business, and if people don't deliver they go the obvious way."
Nielsen is confident Piquet will soon improve, even if the next race is the demanding Monaco Grand Prix in 11 days' time.
"I'm sure Nelson can turn it around," added Nielsen.
"We have seen in testing and in Barcelona (Spanish Grand Prix) he has the speed, he just needs to concentrate and focus and make sure he turns it into results."
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