Lewis Hamilton says he will shortly make up his mind whether to stay at McLaren beyond the end of this season.
The British driver has just one year left on his current contract and his future with the Woking-based team appears to be up in the air as he has failed to commit his future.
Hamilton has a tough choice to make as to whether he should stay with McLaren, with seats at Ferrari and Red Bull set to become available once the 2012 season is over.
The 27-year-old's decision could depend on whether McLaren's new MP4-27 car can close the gap on the Red Bull's this season, Sebastian Vettel having won the last two Drivers' Championships.
With the new season fast approaching Hamilton says he will make up his mind soon and won't let the issue cast a shadow over the campaign.
"At the moment the focus is on the preparation we have coming up for the season," said Hamilton.
"Probably after the first couple of races it's something we will probably want to get out of the way.
"We can then focus on the rest of the year without the team being concerned and without it being something hanging around, so then you guys (the media) won't have to ask questions about it."