Paul di Resta is hoping a strong season with Force India will put his "nose in front" as he bids for a top drive.
The Scot was linked to and even had talks with McLaren last season as they sought a replacement for Lewis Hamilton.
In the end, McLaren opted for Sergio Perez, a decision that Di Resta reckons was partly based on the TelMex-sponsored driver's "good backing".
Despite losing on the coveted McLaren drive, Di Resta is not giving up as he believes a strong third season in Formula One could give him the edge when the big teams start looking around.
"I don't see it like that, I see it as seats opening up at the end of the year," Di Resta told ESPNF1. "At the end of the day the relationships that have happened might not gel together and there might be opportunities there.
"I just need to build my reputation and put my nose in front of the people if it needs to be. But here we are, essentially the first day I've seen my car and I'll do my absolute utmost to make this car be as fast as it can and give me some great results.
"Whether that's getting on the podium, whether that's getting race wins or whether that's getting eighth at a grand prix, as long as we can say that's the best job we've done that will be positive and we'll continue to focus on just on-track performance and results."
