Valtteri Bottas has acknowledged that a shift to Indycar could be a "good option" for his career down the track.
The 35-year-old Finn was dropped from Sauber's race line-up at the end of last season and has rejoined Mercedes as their full-time reserve driver.
He's already being tipped for a potential 2026 seat with the incoming Cadillac team.
"There are a lot of opportunities on the driver market at the moment," Bottas told Dutch outlet Formule 1.
"You always think about that, especially if you stay connected to Formula 1. But next year still feels a long way off at the moment.
"On the other hand, the season will be halfway through in no time," he continued. "So of course I have to think about next year, but for now it is still a bit too early. Still, it motivates me to work hard."
Should Cadillac pass on Bottas for 2026, the 10-time grand prix winner conceded he might look outside Formula 1.
"The first priority is Formula 1," he stressed. "But then I have to consider the alternatives. Then Indycar would definitely be a good option, although I'm not really thinking about it at the moment.
"I'm really focused on Formula 1 now, but it's difficult to predict the future. Maybe next year I'll still be in the same role I am in now.
"At the moment everything is wide open and I'm just grateful that I've been given this opportunity to come back to the team."
