Eagle-eyed Formula 1 observers spotted a familiar face in the Mercedes garage during Bahrain testing.

He was Jerome d'Ambrosio, best known for racing in F1 for the Virgin and Lotus teams a decade ago.

Subsequently, the now 37-year-old Belgian switched to Formula E, but in 2020 entered the world of team management as deputy boss under Susie Wolff at the Venturi team.

He became full team boss late in 2021, overseeing Venturi's highly successful campaign featuring five wins, ten podiums and the runner-up title spot.

D'Ambrosio left the team late last year but re-emerged in the Mercedes pits in pre-season Formula 1 testing in Bahrain - and was spotted alongside former colleague Susie Wolff's husband Toto, who runs the famous German team.

"Wolff and d'Ambrosio know each other well," reports the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

"There has been no information or official statement, but it's obvious that Jerome is not there simply for fun."

The broadcaster suspects a managerial role for d'Ambrosio may be in the works, wondering: "Might he be taking on one of James Vowles' old jobs?"