Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly acknowledged his frustration and disappointment in the wake of Toro Rosso's decision to retain Daniil Kvyat for 2017.
The Faenza-based outfit announcement in Austin last week to give the Russian driver another chance next season came as a surprise for many as Gasly was generally viewed as next in line to be promoted to an F1 race seat.
"The target for me of course was to get in Toro Rosso next year," Gasly explained to Autosport.
"I didn't actually understand their decision and I didn't get any reasons as well. It was kind of looking good for me, talking about it with [Red Bull motorsport advisor] Helmut [Marko] and trying to make it.
"Then I don't know what has happened as in two or three days, everything went so quickly. They signed Kvyat.
"I didn't understand it. It looked like I was in the right place but in the wrong moment pretty much from what I understood."
Last week in Abu Dhabi, the GP2 title contender completed a Pirelli 2017 tyre test with Red Bull which some believe may have provided the final assessment in Helmut Marko's decision to keep the Frenchman on the sidelines, at least for now.
Gasly may also be looking to take his fate into his own hands as he weighs his options for next year, with race seats still up for grabs at Force India, Renault, Sauber and Manor.
"I'm really disappointed by it, but now it is done and I need to move forward. I'm already looking at the future. Right now, it's quite wide open still in terms of options - you still have many seats left in Formula 1.
"I've talked quite a lot with Helmut this weekend and he knows my target, that I want to make it into Formula 1.
"We just need to find the best option, the best package, either in F1 or if we can't make it in F1 next year, I do something good to get myself ready for 2018."
DRIVER RATINGS: United States Grand Prix
Silbermann says ... Taylor should take over F1
Romain Grosjean column: 100 races, now for the wins
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
