Daniil Kvyat's future in Formula 1 is not as secure as that of his current Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz.
It is believed that Sainz is on the cusp of having a one-year contract extension triggered by Toro Rosso owner Red Bull, even though Marca reports that Renault are also interested in the 21-year-old.
Although while Sainz is weighing up between Toro Rosso and Renault, the fate of his Toro Rosso teammate Kvyat is much less clear.
Earlier, the young Russian was demoted by Red Bull in favour of Max Verstappen, and now there are rumours that Kvyat, 22, is looking around for a seat for 2017.
"At the moment I have nothing in this area to report," he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
"But everyone talks to one another. My phone is always on."
Awkwardly for Kvyat, his career has always been guided by Red Bull, but the goings-on of 2016 have created a rift.
"I'm still friends with Helmut Marko and Christian Horner," he insisted, "although things are somewhat different.
"I have people around me who can help me, for the details. But my phone is mine and I can make my own decisions."
For now, Kvyat said that he is determined to make the most of the remaining 13 races of 2016 with Toro Rosso.
"There are some real classics coming up where it will become clear how good we really are. I don't call it a deadline but it's an important point."
The next race on the calendar is the Austrian Grand Prix in two weeks' time.
