"Of course I want to stay in F1," says Palmer - linked with Williams in 2018; "I want to go out with six of the best races."
Saturday 30 September 2017 08:28, UK
An optimistic Jolyon Palmer says he is aiming for "six of the best races" to aid his Formula 1 future after producing his finest career performance at the Singapore GP.
A season riddled by reliability failures and missed opportunities has eventually seen Palmer lose his Renault seat for 2018 - with Carlos Sainz replacing him - but the Briton responded with a superb sixth-place finish on Sunday.
And, as Palmer insists he will remain with Renault until the end of the year despite speculation about a pre-Malaysian GP switch for Sainz, he has now set his sights on finishing the campaign as strongly as possible.
"The result this weekend is finally a bit of good luck," he told Sky Sports F1. "This result could have come earlier in Baku, Silverstone or Spa. I hope we can build from this confidence and push for more. The car is competitive, and I'm going to be competitive.
"At the moment the news is obviously quite fresh about Renault, I've just been concentrating about the weekend. From my side I just want to go out with six of the best races.
"Of course I want to stay in F1 and there are other options but I'm just focused on the performance side and I want to at least do myself proud in these last six races. I'll be pushing like hell and hopefully it comes out for the best."
Palmer made the most of the first-lap carnage and the tricky conditions to secure his first points of the season, even overtaking Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes at one stage.
His dazzling display came just over 48 hours after the McLaren-Renault, Toro Rosso-Honda engine deal that saw Sainz confirmed as Palmer's replacement was announced.
"It's Renault's prerogative, they can decide who they put in the car for next year," added Palmer. "I've had a tough season, no doubt about it. We've had some reliability problems but I've made mistakes as well, and the performance hasn't been there often enough.
"Obviously I was up against it to stay. But I have a good relationship with the team, I still do in spite of all the news all the gossip."
Palmer, a former GP2 champion, is now eyeing a Williams seat for 2018 with Felipe Massa looking likely to retire, and an improving Renault package could give him the perfect platform to impress.
"I have been with the team for two years as Renault and three as Enstone, and have six more races with them," he explained. "Hopefully I can finish with the team on a good note."
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