A single answer from Flavio Briatore has hinted that Formula 1's 2027 driver market could turn on a decision only Max Verstappen can make. Asked about Alpine's plans for next season, the team's executive adviser did not start with his own line-up — he started with Mercedes.
"We don't know what's going to happen with Mercedes," Briatore said. "We don't know if Mercedes will pick up Max or whatever. So let's see what we have in the house before we proceed."
The instinct to address Verstappen's future before his own drivers speaks volumes. Persistent rumours have tied the Dutchman to Mercedes for years, and his 2027 intentions remain unresolved. Briatore clearly treats a switch as a real prospect rather than paddock noise.
The consequences would cascade. Should Verstappen join Mercedes, either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli would be squeezed out — and Alpine would be a logical home for the displaced driver. The team runs Mercedes power, it is climbing back up the order, and Briatore has never disguised his appetite for top-tier talent.
That leaves Alpine's current situation on hold. Franco Colapinto has been excellent, comfortably beating Pierre Gasly of late and posting the team's best results of the year. On merit he has earned a long-term deal. Yet his contract is unlikely to be confirmed until the wider picture clears — above all, until Mercedes shows its hand.
None of it is concrete. Verstappen has committed to nothing, Mercedes has moved on no one, and Alpine has tabled no offer. But Briatore openly building his planning around Mercedes' next step is the strongest signal yet that 2027's silly season could be unusually disruptive.
The intrigue is heightened by how settled the front of the grid looks. Mercedes has dominated 2026, Antonelli leading the title after a string of wins with Russell as the experienced foil. It is hardly a team crying out for change — yet the temptation of signing Verstappen, and the puzzle of accommodating him, is exactly what fuels the market.
So Briatore watches and waits. An Alpine armed with Mercedes engines, midfield momentum and a taste for marquee signings would be a natural landing spot for a star suddenly without a seat. Whoever that turns out to be, the team intends to be ready the instant the music stops. Colapinto's job, meanwhile, is to keep being undroppable — and to be patient, because his future is bound up in a call that belongs to Max Verstappen alone.
Source: newsformula.one