Esteban Ocon has dropped a hint on Instagram that he has secured a Formula 1 seat for next season.
Reports circulated on Wednesday that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has decided who will partner Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
It was claimed Valtteri Bottas will be handed a contract extension as the Silver Arrows secured a deal with Renault which will see Ocon race alongside Daniel Ricciardo.
Auto Bild suggest Nico Hulkenberg will be axed by Renault at the end of the campaign, making way for Ocon.
The 22-year-old Frenchman was without a seat this season and has played the third and reserve driver role at Mercedes.
Ocon’s Instagram bio used to read “Test driver” but has recently changed to “Formula 1 driver”.
It suggests the youngster has secured a drive for next year.
And fans were quick to comment on Ocon’s latest post of him enjoying the summer break.
“Oi oi your bio says F1 driver wanna share something with us??” one fan wrote.
While another added: “What’s with the change from test to full on f1 driver in your bio?.
While a further user said: “U going to Renault Estaban?
And another commented: “Renault. Now you can hit [Max Verstappen] again.”
Hamilton leads the World Drivers’ Championship standings by 62 points.
Bottas is in second place and appears to have done enough to extend his contract.
There has been no official confirmation from Mercedes yet but all indicators points to the Silver Arrows remaining with the current driver pairing.