On the face of it, the emergence of three 2027 driver announcements in the same week might suggest that Formula 1's silly season had truly kicked off in style as the season emerged from its summer hibernation.
All three, however, were announcements of contract renewals. This isn't silly season - this is sensible season, and it wouldn't be wholly surprising to see news of a few more contract extensions disseminate across worldwide media platforms over the next few months. Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, and now Max Verstappen have chosen to hold position, which should start to precipitate the fall of a few more dominoes in this year's driver market.