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“That's not nice and it shouldn't happen,” Heidfeld told BBC Sport. “He just pushed me wide, we made contact and that’s not a safe thing to do.”

That's going to make for an awkward debrief. Of course Heidfeld is referring to the manoeuvre Petrov used to defend his position going into the final chicane section, pushing Heidfeld almost into the pit lane.

Having said that, if they both kept their hands on the wheel rather than waving at each other, the incident might not have been so bad.

Nick Heidfeld has been named as Pirelli’s official test driver as the Italian firm prepares for its return to F1 for the first time in 20 years.

Heidfeld, who has been released by Mercedes after agreeing to become the Brackley-based outfit’s reserve driver back in February, will use Toyota’s F1 car from last year, the TF109, for the development tests.

The 33-year-old will drive the car in a series of test sessions on several different circuits from August onwards, beginning today with a two-day stint at Mugello.

“It’s a great privilege for me to join Pirelli in order to carry out this vital work and I am very grateful to Mercedes GP Petronas for releasing me from my contract to take on this role,” said Heidfeld, who raced in F1 up until the end of last year, having spent ten seasons in the sport during which he started over 150 races, scored 219 points and stood on the podium a dozen times.

“Through the experience I have built up over the years, I’m confident that I will be able to provide Pirelli with some important feedback regarding the development of next year’s tyres. I’ve got a lot to give but I haven’t been driving so much this year, so it is good to get started! Together, I’m sure that we can create a dynamic range of tyres that will make F1 an even more exciting sport in the future.”

Here are some of Nick's signature moves from the past: