Paul di Resta hopes his stand-in appearance for Williams at the Hungarian Grand Prix helps force a full-time return to Formula One.
Williams reserve Di Resta was drafted in for the unwell Felipe Massa just two hours before qualifying, where he managed to finish 19th despite no experience of the 2017 car other than in the team's simulator. The Scot had not driven in F1 since his last race for Force India at the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Di Resta, whose return ended with a reliability issue in the closing stages of the race itself, impressed Williams with his calmness behind the wheel and how quickly he adapted to the demands of the 2017 car. His performance prompted chief technical officer Paddy Lowe to admit the team is being "open-minded" about next year's driver-line up.
When asked if he felt it would be harder to break back into the sport given his age Di Resta, replied: "Definitely, I think it's easier if you're a young driver because you get the opportunities and stuff. I've just turned 31. There's a little bit of life still in me. The dream could still be there getting back in the car if the right thing happened. The most important thing is the team being able to rely on me to do a solid job this weekend."
Di Resta's appearance came on the eve of F1's summer break, which is traditionally when speculation about the make-up of the following year's grid reaches fever pitch.
"I'd love to get back on the radar, but I don't stand at the top of the meetings. It's up to I suppose people to make the decision. I can't convince them, I can only show people what I can do. I hope [in Hungary] people appreciated what I've done. I was doing the most professional job I could.
"I know I've got the weight of the team on top of me as well to carry that. You never know if you're going to be required again later in the year should something happen again. I really don't know. It's an interesting time, the market, going into the summer break. There's me thinking my summer holiday was starting a bit earlier."
Williams is almost certain to retain Lance Stroll next year, but Di Resta could well return if the team parts company with Felipe Massa, who reversed a decision to retire to return in Valtteri Bottas' place this year. Massa has recently indicated a desire to remain in F1 for another season and is well thought of by the team's billionaire backer Laurence Stroll, who sees the veteran Brazilian as the perfect teammate for his teenager son to learn from.