Vitaly Petrov insists he has not been signed by Renault to be "number two" driver in deference to Robert Kubica.
The Russian rookie is taking a reported EUR15 million to the Enstone based team.
"The races have not yet begun, so maybe he (Kubica) will be the number two," Petrov, 25, told the state owned Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
He also said he is not expecting to be given an easy time by his highly rated Polish teammate.
"Every driver is responsible for himself," 2009 GP2 runner-up Petrov explained.
The report said Petrov must contractually achieve at least 25 per cent of Kubica's points tally in 2010.
He is also yet to obtain the entire EUR15m promised to Renault.
The Russian daily sports newspaper Sovetsky Sport says a petition signed by some of Petrov's athlete colleagues has been sent to Russian president Vladimir Putin, in the hope of getting help to raise the missing EUR7.5m.
