Kevin Magnussen has said that he wants to keep beating his teammate as he bids to stay at Renault for a second year in 2017.

Although the newly-reacquired Enstone team struggled for pace in China, Magnussen impressed relative to his rookie teammate Jolyon Palmer and he says that staying in front of the Briton is his goal.

"It's no secret that you have to be better than your teammate," Magnussen, who was signed by Renault after being dropped by McLaren, told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

"It's crucial for the team because it is clear that if a new driver comes, they will only keep the best one. But I also want to be the best driver on the grid."

Magnussen suggested that he is thriving in his new environment at Renault, after his father Jan revealed that the 23-year-old struggled to find his place at McLaren.

"I'm in a team now where the commercial side means less," he confirmed. "It's one of the things I really like about it. It's a team that is here for the sporting side.

"For Renault it is about the brand, so on the driver side the commercial aspect does not play such a role as it did at McLaren. At McLaren it is the drivers that pull the load but here it is the brand."

So far, Renault seem happy with Magnussen and Cyril Abiteboul has now said on more than one occasion that a contract extension for 2017 is possible.