'Here's my CV!' Drivers - and Lukas Podolski - joke with Mercedes over vacancy

Mercedes placed a light-hearted classified advertisement in Autosport magazine on Thursday, saying it was seeking a new driver for next season. Following that move, a number of drivers have taken to social media to express their interest, including former F1 stars.

Thursday has seen former Toyota, Sauber and Caterham driver Kamui Kobayashi throw his hat into the ring for the seat, while he was joined by fellow Japanese cult figure Taki Inoue in posting his CV on Twitter.

Sportscar racer Alex Brundle suggested he was waiting outside the Mercedes factory, with father and Sky Sports commentator Martin also wanting to be considered.

Current Channel 4 pundit Karun Chandhok also joked he was heading to the team's factory at Brackley.

There was even a tweet from German World Cup winning footballer Lukas Podolski, who posted a picture with Rosberg with the pair showing off their trophies. It roughly translates as "When is the first test? I'm ready!"

The tweets follow Max Verstappen's jokes with the team on the day of the announcement in Vienna last Friday. Mercedes hopes to name Rosberg's replacement by Christmas.