Fernando Alonso has given the clearest sign yet that he will leave McLaren-Honda at the end of the year.
The Spaniard has struggled with the hapless Anglo-Japanese collaboration throughout his three-year contract, but said in Baku that he wants to make it "clear to all my fans" that he will definitely still be in F1 next year.
As for the team, though, it now seems obvious that Alonso will stop hoping that Honda will finally improve.
"I'm not going to sit down with anyone until September," Alonso told Spanish radio Cadena Cope.
"But I want to go to a safe project, not a risky one. I would like to be in a place I can be competitive from day one and win.
"After 16 years, with everything I have achieved, I would like to be competitive in my last years in Formula 1."
Alonso also said that he thinks the 2018 'silly season' will be more unpredictable than many F1 insiders are expecting.
"I know there are more moves than we all probably know," he said.
"It seems that some teams are already set for next year, but I do not think it is 100% confirmed. I think there will be a lot of changes in 2018."
Two-time champion winner Alonso last won the title in 2006.
