A family connection of Verstappen – former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr – either let slip that Verstappen has signed with Mercedes for F1 2026, or suffered a high-profile slip of the tongue.

As Red Bull boss Christian Horner continues to make clear, Verstappen is under contract with the team through 2028. This allows Horner to dismiss the discussion around a potential Verstappen move as noise, as he did during the Austrian Grand Prix. However, as this former lawyer will tell you, there is always a way out.