Red Bull are prepared to wait for Daniel Ricciardo to make his decision about staying with the team beyond 2018.
The energy drink company's premier Formula 1 team has locked down Max Verstappen with a new contract until 2020, prompting some to think that Australian Ricciardo may now look for an alternative.
Indeed, Dr Helmut Marko, the Red Bull driver manager, confirmed that the 28-year-old is "on the market".
However, team boss Christian Horner sounds relaxed, saying that even if Ricciardo decides to leave, Red Bull's ability to pull Carlos Sainz back from the works Renault team is a "safety net".
Horner is quoted by Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper as saying: "At 28, [Ricciardo's] next decision is a very important one. So he will take time to make it right.
"But we have also clearly told him that we want him on the team.
"Even if the decision takes him six months, that's fine."
The 2017 season's penultimate race takes place in Brazil next weekend.
