Fernando Alonso insists that he is still in control of his own destiny, despite Sebastian Vettel's expected move to Ferrari and Daniil Kvyat's transfer to Red Bull Racing.
The driver market had been waiting for a move from Alonso, but his options now appear to be limited to McLaren, with Red Bull now full and both Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton insisting that their partnership will continue.
"Today was a surprise for me, Vettel leaving Red Bull," he said on Saturday. "Everyone was waiting for some kind of announcement on my side, and the first one to move chairs was Sebastian. On my side as I've said my priority is to help Ferrari, we are in the middle of a weekend first of all, and secondly my future - let's say I've had my mind set already for two or three months, everything is moving in the right direction, but I'm still not 100% decided what to do.
"I have that privilege that I'm probably the decision maker in some of the aspects. I gained this respect in the last couple of years, and I can go more or less wherever I want to go, in the time I want to go. And that I will use in the best way."
Alonso said that the Red Bull door closing was not an issue.
"Red Bull was never a priority, so it's not a big worry at the moment. I know what I want to do, and I will tell you soon.
Asked if he could still be Vettel's teammate at Ferrari he said: "Anything's a possibility. I don't know if he's going to Ferrari, I know he's leaving Red Bull. Let's see. At the moment the first priority for me is ti help the team in this race, my future and the future of Sebastian is not a priority.
"My plan is going well, it's moving in the right direction."
