Vergne, Palmer and free agent Magnussen thought to be in running
Tuesday 27 October 2015 17:19, UK
Lotus now have a "pretty good idea" who will replace Haas-bound Romain Grosjean at the team in 2016, according to deputy chief Federico Gastaldi.
The second seat at the Enstone-based team arguably remains the most coveted left open on the grid for next season, particularly as French car giants Renault are in the process of buying back the team and re-establishing a works outfit.
With current lead driver Grosjean last month announcing his defection to newcomers Haas for 2016, Pastor Maldonado remains the only confirmed driver at Lotus, with the team evaluating a number of options for his team-mate.
Ferrari's French test driver Jean-Eric Vergne and Lotus' current reserve Jolyon Palmer have long been thought to be in the running, but Kevin Magnussen has also emerged as a contender in recent weeks.
McLaren confirmed on Friday that they had decided not to take up the option on their current reserve driver's contract for next season, leaving the 23-year-old free to search for alternative race seats.
With just six weeks until the end of the season, Lotus say that an announcement is near.
"The remorseless passing of time means that you always get closer to something in the future, so yes, we are closer to making an announcement," said Gastaldi.
"I would say something will come sooner rather than later. We won't be disclosing who it is before we announce it, but we certainly have been speaking to drivers with good provenance and we have a pretty good idea who we will have in the car."
While the futures of the two Red Bull teams remaining uncertain, Haas and Manor are the other teams yet to firm up their 2016 line-ups. Magnussen could be under consideration at both teams, although Haas are expected to team Grosjean up with Mexico's Esteban Gutierrez.
