Kevin Magnussen says he is using this season to prepare himself for the future prospect of fighting at the front of the Formula One grid.
Renault has endured a tricky transition period following its takeover of the Lotus F1 team at the end of last year, with the Enstone-based outfit occupying ninth in the constructors' standings having recorded just one points finish this season -- when Magnussen claimed seventh place at the Russian Grand Prix.
The Dane admits that thinking about his future prospects has helped act as motivation during a difficult 2016.
"You can always motivate yourself by thinking about next year and the year after that, just thinking about the future and try to learn as much as possible and prepare for when you get the chance because that's how Formula One is, suddenly you're in a car that can win and you have to deliver. So learning and preparing yourself for that time is what I'm doing now.
"It's difficult not to be racing for points. If you're racing in P16 and P15, chasing someone down and even if you do get him and overtake him -- you're working so hard to overtake him and you still don't get points. It is a very frustrating and challenging time but I know what I'm working towards."
The best result Renault has managed since Russia has been two 12th-place finishes by Jolyon Palmer in Austria and Hungary -- the latter of which had seen Palmer running inside the points until a late spin curtailed the Briton's hopes of scoring his first F1 point.
Despite mainly fighting towards the rear of grid, Magnussen believes he has learned a lot during the first half of the season and feels he can be relatively happy with his own performances so far in 2016.
"You're still learning about yourself and what you need from a car, setting it up, what feedback is important, working with the team, getting the most out of your people. The teamwork is something that you never stop learning really because you get new people and things changing on the car. That's an ongoing learning process.
"I feel fairly happy. I'm never satisfied because I always feel I can do better. I always feel I can improve. I've made a few mistakes but I also feel I've made a few miracles and that's kind of what I expected."