Nov.24 (GMM) With Robert Kubica now out of the picture for early 2012, Bruno Senna insists the driver situation at Renault remains far from clear.

"For me, the announcement (about Kubica on Wednesday) does not change anything," Senna, the current occupant of the seat originally reserved for the injured Pole this season, said in his native Portuguese in Sao Paulo.

"I am working to convince the team that I should stay but the competition is great," he conceded.

Senna, 28, admitted that due to the "great" competition, "it is important" to be backed by ample sponsorship.

Even Vitaly Petrov, with a signed 2012 contract in his pocket, has hinted that Renault could pick a better-funded driver to replace him.

"It's hard to comment, I haven't read Petrov's contract," Senna insisted. "I have no information.

"I'm not worried about the seat next to me. (Romain) Grosjean is the third driver but everyone who is also on the market is an enemy -- Rubens (Barrichello) has a huge amount of experience," he added, also mentioning the name of likely Force India refugee Adrian Sutil.

"We will have to see what the team decides. We have had encouraging conversations with sponsors and with the team," said Senna.

"The team is happy with me but they want more consistency. I have had ups and downs and I need my first whole season since 2008 (in GP2) to improve more."

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