Jolyon Palmer has said that he has "no explanation" for his struggle to keep up with his teammate Nico Hulkenberg at Renault so far in 2017.

Team boss Cyril Abiteboul recently gave the Briton a hurry-up, amid rumours that a mid-season driver change - potentially involving tester Sergey Sirotkin or even Robert Kubica - might be on the cards.

Palmer, who is yet to score a single point this year, said that the rumours are not putting pressure on him.

"What puts pressure on is not putting in good performances," said Palmer.

"The way to stop the rumours is to do well on track and hopefully I can do that."

As for what has caused his 2017 struggle, however, Palmer said that he unsure.

"I have no explanation," the 26-year-old is quoted as saying by Speed Week.

"I don't think I've done anything wrong. There are just small things that make the difference. I just have to drive as well as I can - what happens on the other side of the garage doesn't matter."

The season continues with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix next weekend.