Now Verstappen has firmly committed to Red Bull for 2026 and the dust has settled after an intense silly season episode involving the four-time world champion, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff can take his time to finalise contract extensions with his own proteges - George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with no rush to sign on the dotted line.
The story of how Wolff coveted Verstappen as far back as 2014, but lost out to fellow Austrian Helmut Marko's offer of an immediate F1 graduation from F3, is well known by now. The rest is history, with a rapid ascent to Red Bull's main team and four world titles as a result.
