David Coulthard says he is keeping an open mind about his future, ahead of his first race for 18 months in the DTM opener at Hockenheim this weekend.
The former grand prix driver will contest this season with Mercedes but he told AUTOSPORT that he isn't yet set on a full-time return to racing beyond 2010.
"By the time I get to lap 19 at Hockenheim, that will be one more than the consecutive number of laps I've ever done in a DTM car," said Coulthard. "I tested at Monteblanco, Portimao, and then two days at Valencia. I had some ups and downs – sometimes I'd put new tires on and not deliver the lap time I was expecting to. That's all part of the learning process.
"I have an open mind about the future, but you need this first season to know whether you can go forward, and see whether I'm enjoying it."
Coulthard says that DTM is the best series for him to race in if he is to continue his career, however.
"In the DTM, I don't have to rearrange my life," he said. "If I did something like the Dakar Rally, then I would. And I don't really want to share a car, like in sports cars, unless it was with buddies, like Gil [de Ferran] and Martin [Brundle]."