Sergey Sirotkin is still hopeful he will make his F1 weekend debut in 2014.
Earlier a shoo-in for a Sauber seat amid the Swiss team’s supposed Russian rescue deal, the 18-year-old has more recently appeared to be on the backburner.
"I’m just a test driver," he told Russia 2 sports television this week.
"With the test in Bahrain I got the (super) license so it is very possible that I will drive at Sochi on Friday. At the very least I will be with the team.
"For me it’s a positive thing — to gain experience.
"There are some options for next year, on which we are working very hard," Moscow-born Sirotkin added, "and I think that one of them should work out."