Aug.27 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has urged Renault to make a fast decision over its driver lineup for 2017.
The French works team is obviously assessing its options for next year, having flagged a decision to be made within September.
But team boss Frederic Vasseur has now hinted it could take longer than that.
“We are not under pressure to take a decision. It will be in the next few weeks or months,” he said at Spa.
Current Renault racer Magnussen confirmed that the team is not rushing by saying the issue has not progressed at all recently.
“Nothing has happened over the past few weeks,” he told Ekstra Bladet newspaper. “I have not heard anything from the Renault management.
“I understand they’ve been talking about taking a decision in early September and I hope they live up to it,” Magnussen added.
“I will not under any circumstances be in a situation like I was in 2014,” he said, referring to a similar delay by McLaren that left him without a race seat.
“Otherwise, I will have to make a decision,” Magnussen added.
He said he would like to stay with the team because of the expected progress in 2017, and the fact that the rest of 2016 will be somewhat fallow.
“It is clear that a lot of money is being spent at Enstone with new buildings and machinery, and a lot of new people will be hired,” said Magnussen.
“There are no major updates on the car now — only minor things,” he revealed. “All the focus is now on the 2017 project — the current car has been taken out of the wind tunnel completely.”