Mercedes has taken up the option on Esteban Ocon's contract and kept the GP3 Series championship leader on its junior roster for 2016.
Ocon joined Mercedes from the Lotus junior team at the start of the current season. He won the 2014 European Formula 3 championship and holds a six-point lead ahead of this weekend's GP2 Series finale in Abu Dhabi.
The 19-year-old has confirmed he is now a fully-fledged member of the Mercedes driver pool, suggesting he could replace Pascal Wehrlein as Mercedes reserve driver if the DTM champion takes up a seat at Manor next year. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed the news but says it does necessarily mean Wehrlein will be on the F1 grid next season.
"Yes, we have taken up the option on him," Wolff said when asked about Ocon. "He has been with us now for a while, he has been a test driver in DTM and integrated well, and he is doing a very good job in GP3.
"He is somebody we would very much like to have in the family, this is why we exercise the option, but it doesn't mean we have found a solution for Pascal. The current driver market is a bit difficult because most teams have announced their drivers, and it needs to be the right team.
"The current driver market is a bit difficult because most of the teams have already announced their drivers and it needs to be the right deal - but having taken up Esteban we are conscious that we need to find a suitable programme for both of them.
"It could well mean that it could eventually end up for both of them in a testing role, in a reserve driver role and in a DTM role - so it's not done yet."