Alexander Rossi was given the opportunity to return to Formula One in the second half of the year with Manor but the 24-year-old American has revealed that he turned down his former team to continue in the IndyCar Series.
Rossi competed in five races for Manor at the tail end of last year but wasn’t given a drive for 2016, with the team instead opting for Rio Haryanto. But now the Indonesian’s money has appeared to have dried up, the team wanted him back alongside Pascal Wehrlein.
He told Autosport: “My management and I are in constant communications with Manor and we knew there might be an opportunity to race for the last half of the 2016 season.”
“We gave it careful thought but declined the race seat due to my IndyCar contract.”
Rossi has raced as a rookie in the IndyCar series this year and took a shock victory at the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. However, he confirmed an F1 return could still be on the cards in 2017 with Manor or perhaps another team.
“I have options both in IndyCar and Formula 1 for 2017,” said the American. “There have been talks with Manor for a race seat and we’ve also been approached by another F1 team that’s quite interesting.”