F1: Haryanto hopeful about 2017 prospects

Rio Haryanto remains hopeful of reviving his Formula 1 career by landing one of the last three vacant seats for the 2017 season.

The 23-year-old Indonesian contested the first 12 races of the year with Manor before being demoted to reserve driver due to a funding shortfall. Manor, which is still working to secure its own F1 future, is yet to name either of its drivers for next year, and the only other empty seat is alongside Marcus Ericsson at Sauber.

"Of course there is a chance to get back again," Haryanto told Reuters. "We are working hard to get the seat back."

Haryanto's 2016 campaign was mostly financed by Indonesian state petroleum company Pertamina, but his manager Piers Hunisett told Reuters that he is casting a wider net this time around in the hope of finding a private backer to supplement the Pertamina sponsorship.

"When it comes to releasing the money, when you've got housing problems and education and health issues, [state support] is difficult to justify," he said. "We have got some more leads now with other sponsors, non-government, where it's easier to work with."

Among those competing with Haryanto for one of the remaining drives are Esteban Gutierrez, who was left without a seat after Haas opted to replace him with Kevin Magnussen; Felipe Nasr, whose future at Sauber was thrown into doubt following the loss of his sponsor Banco do Brasil; and Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein, who scored Manor's only point of the 2016 season when he finished 10th in Austria.