Formula 2 racer Nikita Mazepin will drive for Mercedes alongside Valtteri Bottas at this week's two-day test in Barcelona which kicks off on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Russian - who tested for Force India in the past - will be handed one day of running onboard the team's W10 although Mercedes has yet to decide on which day he will take to the track.
Mazepin, whose credentials include a runner-up spot in the last year's GP3 championship, is currently conducting a private testing programme in collaboration with Mercedes and funded by his father, Belarus-born Russian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin, a core shareholder of chemical giants Uralchem and Uralkali.
As a sponsor of Force India in 2018 through Uralkali, Dmitry Mazepin put himself on the ranks to acquire the Silverstone-based team last summer.
However, his offer was rebuffed by Force India's administrators in favour of a superior proposition submitted by a consortium of investors led by Lawrence Stroll, a deal which led to the creation of Racing Point.
Nikita Mazepin's training programme with Mercedes includes 12 days of running on various tracks at the wheel of a 2017-spec W08.
Mazepin won't be the only F2 racer or young charger entrusted with an opportunity to test the waters of Formula 1 this week.
McLaren is expected to provide some F1 mileage to junior driver Sergio Sette Camara, while current F2 championship leader Nicholas Latifi will be running with Williams.
Ferrari has included former academy member Antonio Fuoco in its line-up, while Scuderia junior Callum Ilott joins Alfa Romeo this week.
Jack Aitken, Pietro Fittipaldi and Dan Ticktum will be givven an opportunity to boost their F1 experiience in Barcelona, respectively with Renault, Haas and Red Bull Racing.
Racing Point will entrust its RP19 to simulator driver Nick Yelloly who has now steered his career towards GT racing. The 28-year-old Brit finished runner-up in the Porsche Supercup series last year.
Racing Point and Ferrari will both run additional cars on Tuesday and Wednesday devoted to Pirelli's development programme.
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Sometimes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, speed doesn’t build gradually – it arrives like it…
Nearly two decades after its last high-speed venture in Formula 1, American computing giant Intel…
Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring 24 Hours debut is already delivering the kind of storyline only he…
Audi’s 2026 Formula 1 project is already under the microscope, but racing director Allan McNish…
Max Verstappen will launch his long-awaited Nürburgring 24 Hours debut from the second row of…
Cadillac F1’s arrival on the grid in 2026 has been anything but quiet, and according…