Stoffel Vandoorne has joined Aston Martin as a reserve driver in a move which looks set to have major repercussions on the final pieces of the 2023 Formula 1 jigsaw.
The former McLaren driver joins the Silverstone-based team from next season. He will share reserve and test duties with Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, who was snapped up as the first member of the team's new driver development programme.
But, as it stands, Nico Hulkenberg is also a reserve with the team, having filled in for Sebastian Vettel for the opening two races of this campaign. The German has been linked with a return to the grid in 2023, and the signings of Drugovich and Vandoorne may well point to him being free to leave his current role.
That would mean bad news for Mick Schumacher, who is currently fighting for his F1 career. His Haas seat is the last one on the grid to be filled for next year, and Hulkenberg has been considered as the main contender to replace him if team principal Guenther Steiner decided to bring in a fresh face.
Vandoorne's signing, freeing up Hulkenberg to leave, may well be a sign that the Haas chief has decided to do exactly that. That would mean Schumacher's first stint in F1 will be over after just two years, putting his future in the series in real jeopardy.
But the German is not the only one whose future may be affected by the move. Daniel Ricciardo could be another, as he seeks a role that will keep him in F1 even though he will not be racing for McLaren or anyone else in 2023.
As Vandoorne joins Aston Martin, he vacates his previous role with Mercedes. The Formula E champion was, alongside Nyck de Vries, a reserve for the Silver Arrows' F1 operation, and now that both have left they will need at least one person to come in and take up their roles.
Ricciardo has been linked with reserve roles at the top teams. Mirror Sport understands he has been in contact with Red Bull over a possible return, but Mercedes links have been strong too and they now have the room to take him on if he decides that would be the best move for him.
The undecided Haas seat and Ricciardo's future are the two main parts of the puzzle still to be fitted into place – but despite seeming innocuous on the surface, Vandoorne's move to Aston Martin may well be the catalyst for both those subjects to find a resolution.
