Williams driver George Russell has said that he hopes that a decision on where he'll be for 2022 will be made by the summer, as links with Mercedes continue to persist.
The young British driver is seen by many as a race-winner and even a potential world champion for the future and he has impressed continually in the sport since signing on at Williams.
Indeed, in a car that has often been at the rear of the field, he has still caught the eye and, when he got a one-off chance for Mercedes last year in Sakhir, he absolutely shone.
Part of the Merc driver academy, the speculation has continued to grow over him potentially driving for the Silver Arrows in 2022 with both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas' contracts up at the end of this season, though it remains to be seen exactly what the current world champions want to do with their driver line-up.
That all said, Russell hopes something can be sorted by the summer for next year but admits he is not going to be pushing it too much, with him focused on trying to help Williams further up the F1 grid.
“I think, naturally, we all want something decided either way by the summer break, really," Russell said in an interview with Autosport.
“I think it’s in everyone’s best interests.
“But to be honest, I’m not pushing the subject with anyone really – with Mercedes, with Williams. I’m purely just focused on my job here.
“And I know that, as I’ve always said, if I perform to my potential [that I] believe I’m capable of, you’re putting yourself in the shop window.
“I think that race in Bahrain gave me a unique opportunity to almost prove it. Whereas, before that, it was always a small unknown – because of the situation I found myself in [with Williams].
“So I’m really not pushing the subject. Just enjoying every single race, enjoying where I find myself.”
Russell surely knows that his time should come in the sport in terms of getting a seat for a front-running team, it just remains to be seen when that'll be.
Of course, he's naturally expected to make the step up to Mercedes one day but if that offer isn't forthcoming, perhaps he'll be tempted to take a drive elsewhere.
There's no denying his talent and potential, though, and we'll just have to see if he does get things sorted by the summer break.