Rumors of a shocking move to Mercedes have followed Verstappen, and the entire F1 grid, from paddock to paddock in recent weeks. Those rumors picked up steam in the past 48 hours when a report from Sky Sports Italy indicated that Verstappen had agreed to move to Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton is following Mercedes' pursuit of Max Verstappen with interest and says he would fully recommend the move to his former rival.

George Russell says the chances of him not being a Mercedes driver next year are “exceptionally low”, adding he expects Kimi Antonelli to remain as his team-mate.