Vandoorne would relish Super Formula chance

The Belgian and his McLaren team are determined to keep him racing in 2016, rather than spending a year on the sidelines as a reserve driver.

The idea of placing him at Manor appears to be fading amid the management uncertainty at the team, which makes it now more likely he will be competing elsewhere.

Motorsport.com revealed last month that McLaren was considering twinning an F1 reserve role for Vandoorne with Super Formula in Japan – to help keep him race sharp.

Speaking about his 2016 plans, Vandoorne said: “I definitely want to race something next year, but what it will be I don't know yet. There are definitely some options and we are talking about them.

“I will probably be reserve driver at McLaren, which is a good position to be in, but obviously I want to race something next year as well to stay sharp and stay focused on racing. We will see what comes out of it.”

Japan attractive

When asked if Super Formula would interest him, Vandoorne said: “It is a good car, definitely. It is at least as quick as GP2 or maybe even quicker.

“I think Super Formula are really quick. They don't have that much horsepower but the cornering speeds are very impressive – they are for sure quicker than F1 cars nowadays.

“So if I am reserve driver next year, then Super Formula is one of the options. But it is not decided if I am going to do that, yes or no.”

Testing role

As well as Super Formula and his reserve role, McLaren would give Vandoorne as much testing as it could, particularly with Pirelli wanting more track running to prepare for 2017.

“At the moment I don't know how much testing there will be next year, it depends on the rules,” he said.

"It is always very limited for young drivers to get mileage in an F1 car, so hopefully we will get more in-season testing next year.”