Giedo van der Garde has stressed that he is looking for a competitive seat for next year, after having to miss out on the 2015 Formula 1 season.
The Dutchman had taken Sauber to court after losing his drive with the Swiss outfit before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, although he reached a settlement with the team.
However, Van der Garde remains keen on racing at a high level in 2016.
He told Motorsport.com: "You can always quickly decide to race for a less competitive team and have a frustrating time, so taking a sabbatical seemed the right choice to clear my head.
"I have been testing some cars this summer, so that has kept me busy."
Van der Garde made his Formula 1 debut with Caterham in 2013 before joining Sauber as a test driver.
