'Schumacher a target for Toro Rosso'

It would be a sensational development, but reports have emerged that Toro Rosso are considering approaching Michael Schumacher's son, Mick, as a replacement for Pierre Gasly, who will drive alongside Max Verstappen in the senior Red Bull car next season.

Helmut Marko recently claimed that he had a shortlist drawn up of 10 potential drivers who could conceivably replace Gasly at the development team in 2019.

There is also the potential that two seats will be available, given Marko's lukewarm response to Brendon Hartley's difficult drives so far, in which he has suffered a number of DNF's.

Names thought to be on the list include the likes of Esteban Ocon, whose position at Force India appears precarious, and Stoffel Vandoorne, recently replaced at McLaren by rookie Lando Norris.

But Motorsport reports that Schumacher's name has emerged following an eye-catching run of results in Formula 3, where the 19-year-old has taken the chequered flag in six of the last ten races.

He requires 20 Super License points in order to be granted the right to compete in Formula 1, and needs a podium finish in Formula 3 in order to achieve this goal, something that looked unlikely until his recent prolific run of victories.

As things stand, he is in the hunt to win the championship and barring disaster is almost certain to finish within the top three, leading to the alleged interest from Toro Rosso and Marko.

Having Schumacher Jnr on a team in F1 is regarded as an obvious coup for the teams waiting for him to develop through the ranks, and although it seems likely that Mick will compete either in Formula 3 or Formula 2 next season, reports suggest that Red Bull could be looking to tie him down for 2020 or beyond.

But with the amount of driver movement taking place this summer nothing can be written off, and if Schumacher were to triumph in Formula 3, it could prompt Red Bull into making an unlikely move for next year.

MORE: F1's current driver line-up for 2019 - but what could change before then?