After a summer of speculation, contract extensions for Max Verstappen and Lando Norris suggest the elite seats on the Formula 1 grid are locked in for at least the next couple of years.

Four-time world champion Verstappen had been linked with a move to either Mercedes or McLaren but instead signed a Red Bull extension that ties him to the team until 2030. There was little doubt that reigning world champion Norris' long-term future lay with McLaren, but team and driver made that official by announcing a multi-year extension on Saturday.

Meanwhile, it was perhaps the superb form of championship leader Kimi Antonelli that convinced Mercedes boss Toto Wolff he didn't need to poach Verstappen from Red Bull. Given Wolff and Mercedes also manage Antonelli, there appears little doubt that he will remain with the Silver Arrows for many years to come. George Russell's situation is similar, and the Brit has repeatedly expressed his desire to remain with Mercedes.

Ferrari gave Charles Leclerc an extension in June, while Lewis Hamilton has insisted on several occasions this year that he has no plans to hang up his helmet any time soon. With the line-ups of F1's 'big four' teams seemingly set for the short-term future, Sky Sports F1 examine when and how that situation could change.