Nelson Piquet will race in Hungary despite rumours claiming Renault are on the verge of sacking him.

Following the German GP, yet another race without a single World Championship point, rumours of Piquet's pending axing gained momentum - and team boss Flavio Briatore did nothing to silence them.

Asked earlier this week whether the 23-year-old would retain his race-seat for the Hungarian GP, Briatore told Autosport: "I don't know. Maybe I am in the car myself..."

The team, though, has now confirmed that Piquet will race in Budapest, where he hopes Renault's new upgrades will assist him in netting his first points of the campaign.

"I should have the same upgrades as Fernando (Alonso) in Hungary and I think I can be more competitive. As always I will be aiming to qualify in the top ten and hopefully score some points in the race," the Brazilian said.

"Qualifying will be vital as it's so tough to overtake at the Hungaroring because the braking zones are small and it's very dirty offline, so it's important that we concentrate on getting the most from Saturday."