Liam Lawson’s Formula 1 career is clearly shifting into a higher gear, as yet another on-track test looms for the hopeful New Zealander.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has described Sergio Perez’s current form as "unsustainable", but also at risk of losing his seat is Daniel Ricciardo at the junior outfit RB.
It has become clear that if Red Bull cannot offer Lawson, 22, a full-time race seat by September, he will be free to sign elsewhere for 2025 - such as at Sauber-Audi.
And so, Lawson tested Red Bull Racing’s current car at Silverstone on Thursday for a ’filming day’ - and the latest news is that he will also get time in a two-year-old Alpha Tauri or Red Bull at Imola later in July.
"Those tests have been planned for some time so they’re not something that have just sprung up, they’ve been planned for a couple of months now," Horner told Sky F1.
"Liam is our test and reserve driver, that’s his job."
Meanwhile, Mick Schumacher has followed up his recent run in a two-year Alpine at Paul Ricard with a Pirelli tyre test on Tuesday at Silverstone - in a McLaren.
The German, who is pushing hard to return to the grid, is also a McLaren-Mercedes reserve - as part of his reserve duties for the works Mercedes team.
Formel1.de claims Schumacher did 53 laps and was quicker than the other cars in action - Alex Albon of Williams and Haas tester Pietro Fittipaldi.
Pirelli boss Mario Isola thanked the teams for their commitment.
"We are well aware that it is not easy to find the time and energy for two additional days of testing in a schedule as busy as this year’s, especially after a very busy triple programme," he said.