Magnussen not ruling out Manor drive

Will Magnussen (L) be farmed out to Manor by McLaren, or will Alonso not return and the young Dane take the seat?

McLaren reserve driver Kevin Magnussen has refused to rule himself out of the running for a seat with the reborn Manor Marussia team in 2015.

Manor is fighting to make it to the grid for the 2015 season-opener in Australia, after exiting administration last month.

The team, which missed the last three races of the 2014 season, is set to race a modified version of last year’s car this year, with a year-old power unit provided by Ferrari.

Magnussen, who lost his McLaren race seat late last year, will substitute for Fernando Alonso at the Australian Grand Prix, but has no racing plans confirmed beyond his one-off cameo.

Asked if he would consider racing for Manor, Magnussen admitted it could be an option, but not one he has pursued at this stage.

“I think it would be wrong to say no completely, but it is not what I’m looking at," Magnussen said. “It’s not we are jumping in. We are thinking about everything.

“With the options we have, which one is the best one to be the most prepared and the most seen as being ready? There are many things that you have to take in to account I think, so it’s a difficult choice."