Daniel Ricciardo's contract with Red Bull expires at the end of 2016, but the Aussie says he is unlikely to address the issue until the latter part of next season.
Whether the ever-smiling driver decides to stay with the Milton Keynes outfit or move on will highly depend on its performance level next year, and its prospects at the time a decision will have to be made.
"It’s something I have to play by ear," Ricciardo explained.
"In 2017 there are a lot of rule changes and the last thing I want to do is an Alonso, jumping ship and then the ship you’ve left is the one you want to be on.
"In an ideal world I will stay at Red Bull and we will find the dominance again. But that’s something for later in the season."
Ricciardo exited 2015 with an understandable air of disappointment given his expectations following a prosperous 2014 season during which he won three races and dominated team mate Sebastian Vettel.
As he battled all season long with his under-powered and unreliable RB11, the 26-year-old did his best to keep his disappointment under wraps, bidding his time as he awaited better times.
"The frustration built up more than I would have liked. Nine times out of ten I kept a lid on it and did what I had to do. I tried to keep smiling.
"It was definitely a year of some learning and character building. And some maturity as well. In the majority of the season I felt pretty solid."
In addition to the vagaries which affected his Renault power unit, Ricciardo also had to contend early on with a few issues associated with the RB11's own weaknesses.
"We struggled to find a good setup and also had a problem with braking. I didn’t have a good feeling with the car in the first few races.
"I was still having a go, but not able to pull off the moves. It was frustrating as I was still making the effort but not pulling it off. Eventually we got that back and the results started to come. Some of the overtaking came back.
"Budapest was an awesome race. Not just fun, but a real turning point. That’s when I finally felt comfortable in the car. It was generally a lot better after that."
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