Mercedes could be open to welcoming out-of-work Nyck de Vries back to Formula 1.

Prior to impressing in his one-off Williams ride last year, the rookie Dutchman - fresh from victory in the Formula E championship - was Mercedes' official reserve driver.

But as de Vries was subsequently snapped up by Red Bull and Alpha Tauri for 2023, the German team replaced him with axed Haas racer Mick Schumacher.

So with Red Bull now dumping him after just ten races, might the 28-year-old be welcomed back to Mercedes? The Dutchman was spotted at a cafe with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff immediately after hearing of his Alpha Tauri exit.

"I think Nyck will be looking for more than just to become a simulator driver," said Mercedes' engineering boss Andrew Shovlin.

"He'll want to be racing. I've only spoken to him by text and he said he'll let me know how his plans are coming on. He was certainly very useful for us in that role and we'd be welcome to get him back in that role but I suspect that his focus will be on finding race seats.

"If it's not in Formula 1, he'll be looking back to get into a winning seat again," Shovlin added. body check tags ::