Mick Schumacher is clinging to his dream of a return to Formula 1, and may have taken a big step towards that earlier this week.
The former Haas driver is clearly in the running to replace Esteban Ocon next year, and last week took part in a head-to-head test against Jack Doohan in a two-year-old Alpine at Paul Ricard.
Renault’s factory F1 team has been coy about the results.
"From what I know from Alpine, it was a super test for him," Toto Wolff, boss of the Mercedes team, where Schumacher is the reserve driver, told Sky Deutschland at Silverstone.
"He really delivered and I’m happy to hear it," he added. "That’s the message I got. They are super happy, but that was to be expected."
One theory at the moment is that while Doohan appears more likely for the Alpine seat next year, Schumacher could be loaned to Mercedes-powered Williams.
Williams chief James Vowles, who is close to his former Mercedes boss Wolff, even hints that the struggling Logan Sargeant could be replaced within 2024.
"We’re continually evaluating it," he admitted at Silverstone. "We’re open-minded to things."
And when also asked about Schumacher, the 25-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, Williams boss Vowles was quoted as answering by DPA news agency: "He’s a world-class driver."