Rumours have been doing the rounds for the past few weeks that Nick Heidfeld is about to secure the role as test and reserve driver for Mercedes GP, and although an announcement has not yet been made the German media is adamant a deal is forthcoming. But it begs the question, how does this deal benefit either party?

With in-season testing now banned, the role of test driver is becoming more and more redundant, as race drivers now scoop up as much testing time as possible in preparation for the new season. It therefore means that test drivers are limited to the (very) odd day of on-track running and more usually just to simple straight-line tests, where teams test out new aerodynamic components on an airfield runway. The exercise can be beneficial to a rookie in junior categories looking to progress to F1, giving them an insight into life at a Formula One team and behind an F1 wheel, but would be an entirely fruitless endeavour to an experienced driver, such as Heidfeld.

In 2009, McLaren were able to rise from the back of the field to race victories over the course of 2009 despite the talents of test driver Pedro de la Rosa, supposedly the best in the business, going unused. McLaren's case shows that there is now no need for a competent test driver, while also raising the question of whether a 'good' tester was ever an asset to a team. Besides, with Michael Schumacher racing in 2010, Mercedes should have no problem with car development.

Due to the reasons discussed above, nowadays teams are opting for young rookies with no F1 race experience to fill their test driver places. Only yesterday, Williams announced F3 Euroseries front-runner Valtteri Bottas as their 2010 test driver, having been paid back nicely for their faith in Nico Hülkenberg, who will drive for the team this year. All teams with confirmed test driver, bar Ferrari, have rookies in their ranks, while Force India is expected to follow suit shortly with the signing of Paul di Resta. Ferrari meanwhile have now founded a young driver academy of their own, in an effort to avoid the problems of last summer when hunting for Massa's replacement.

Teams hiring an inexperienced rookie as their test driver means he can learn the ropes of the sport in a pressure-free environment during straightline test days and Grand Prix weekend debriefs, while also continuing their junior formula racingm, thereby keeping them sharp and ready for an unexpected F1 debut. It also gives the team a pick at up-and-coming talent, that is race-fresh and eager to impress.

On Heidfeld's side, becoming the Mercedes GP test driver will be a major let-down after 10 straight years of racing in F1, since starting with Prost in 2000. He will know that accepting the test driver will mean little or no track action, and although it's likely there are no other F1 options open to him for 2010, he may have to swallow his pride and drop to DTM if continuing racing is his desire. Otherwise retirement beckons.

The fact that Mercedes overlooked Heidfeld for a race seat in the first place also suggests that they would be unwilling to take him on for 2011 or later should either Rosberg or Schumacher depart prematurely, while for the same reason Heidfeld may be shunned should either regular driver be unable to race over the course of 2010.

But Mercedes might want to complete their all-German driver line-up, you ask. Indeed they might. 'Team Germany', as they are now being dubbed, have more options open to them than just Heidfeld, but the one that stands out most is 20-year-old Christian Vietoris. Born in Gerolstein, Christian has shown major promise in junior categories, and finished second only to Jules Bianchi in last year's F3 Euroseries. Although he is currently under the management of Gravity, which is a part of the Renault-owning Genii capital, a tidy lump-sum would free him to be Mercedes property, free to raise the next Schumacher to race for the all-German team.

My views on teams choosing older drivers ahead of younger rookies have already been vented on this blog, but it seems ludicrous that Mercedes would even consider Heidfeld as a test driver under the current regulations, and it seems equally ludicrous that Heidfeld would be considering such a move. Let's hope both come to their senses soon and that Mercedes extending a helping hand to a German with proper future potential.