Stoffel Vandoorne says he has a "very good" chance of securing a race drive with McLaren next year and is hoping the team makes a decision on his future soon.
Vandoorne scored points on his F1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix this year after standing in for the injured Fernando Alonso and has been part of McLaren's young driver programme since the start of 2013. He is currently the reigning GP2 champion and is racing in Super Formula in Japan, in which he took a podium in his first race.
His promotion would see him replace either Jenson Button or Fernando Alonso next season, giving McLaren a difficult decision over the next few months. Alonso is under contract for 2017, so unless that contract is broken, Button would have to leave the team to see Vandoorne racing for McLaren next year.
"For me, I hope the decision comes sooner rather than later and that's best for everyone I guess," Vandoorne said. "At the moment we haven't really talked about it much. I talked about it a lot quite a lot with Eric and Ron at the races, at the offices as well. I think it's quite normal to talk about next year.
"I'm pushing very hard and know I've got a very good shot at it and hopefully I'll be in the car next year, that's definitely my goal. The number one priority is to be with McLaren."
At 24 years of age, Vandoorne is already older than seven of the drivers on the current grid, but he said 18-year-old Max Verstappen's recent win is proof of how a driver can be successful with limited experience.
"It really shows what young drivers can do with not so much experience," he said. "I think I had a good result in Bahrain as well, jumping in the car without any testing.
"I think it's good to see young drivers near the front, jumping into the big teams and being able to compete for victories was great to see and I think that maybe can boost my chances as well."