F1 veteran Fernando Alonso had made clear that he is in charge of his own destiny in the sport and won't be swayed by the musical chairs currently playing out at Mercedes or elsewhere.
Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari at the end of the season has opened a coveted seat at Mercedes, while whispers of Max Verstappen potentially leaving Red Bull have ignited speculation about another top drive hitting the market.
However, Alonso claims that he remains unfazed by these external opportunities.
His game plan, for now, is to reach a decision on his very participation in Formula 1 beyond 2024. Once that's settled, he'll determine his next team, with staying at Aston Martin his primary desire.
Alonso has a history of calling his own shots.
"I've been always that way," he said. "Sometimes it did help me, sometimes it did hurt me, to be the owner of my destiny.
"I chose when to go from a team, when to join a team, I chose when to stop F1. And I chose when to come back.
"And now I will choose what I do next year. I will not follow what others do, and they dictate my destiny. I will do it on my own. For good or for bad, this is the way I am."
The Spaniard’s timing in switching teams hasn’t always been optimal. In 2014 he opted to leave Ferrari and to switch his allegiance to McLaren where he endured several seasons in purgatory during which his team was weighed down by the dismal performance and reliability of Honda’s first hybrid engines.
In Jeddah, the 42-year-old veteran said that he was likely weeks away from deciding whether to continue in F1 or call it a day on his 20-year career in the sport.
In Melbourne, the to-time F1 world champion said that nothing has changed since Saudi Arabia regarding his F1 future.
"It didn't change much," he said. "And it will not change in the next few weeks or races. I don't want to wait maybe until summer, because I think that will be unfair for me, and for the team, if they have to find more options, and things like that.
"But I don't want to rush as well, and to make a decision while my head is not into next year.
"My head is so focused now on the things that I will love to test on the car after the learnings of the first few events.
"Everything is so exciting about the performance that if I need to think about next year, it's like, 'ah, this is not the right time now to think.'"
For now, remaining with Aston Martin for a third season remains Alonso’s first choice.
"As I said at the launch of the car, when I make that decision, the first office that I will go is to the Aston Martin office," he said.
"And that will be my priority, my loyalty to them. I'm thankful for the opportunity they gave me two years ago.
"And if we get to an agreement, then that will be the decision, if I keep racing and we get to an agreement.
"If I don't get to an agreement with Aston, then I will look elsewhere. But that will be a second opportunity."
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