Vitaly Petrov's manager has revealed that the Russian's Formula One career remains in limbo due to indecisive sponsors.
The 27-year-old is without a race seat for the 2012 season after Lotus-Renault decided to drop him following a two-year stint.
Although he has been linked to the likes of Caterham and HRT, moves failed to materialise with the latter confirming Narain Karthikeyan as their second driver in recent weeks.
His manager Oksana Kosachenko admits negotiations have been affected by sponsors who have been slow to act.
"His main task is not negotiating, because he is not presenting there," she told RIA Novosti.
"He doesn't even know whom I am negotiating with yet. His main task is to be fit and prepared at any moment to jump into the car and deliver the result.
"Of course, he is not very comfortable because we expected [sponsors] to move a little bit faster. Without these decisions, we cannot move forward."
Despite the hiccup, Kosachenko is still negotiating with some teams in F1, but she concedes they may have to look elsewhere if nothing comes of it.
When asked if HRT's signing of Karthikeyan meant that Petrov would have to do with a back-up role, Kosachenko said: "I would say, at the moment I have some other options. I'm concentrating more on looking at those options.
"If, within the next few days, we don't succeed, we are going to talk to some other series and probably we are going to talk to Pirelli as well. There were no negotiations with Pirelli yet."
