The Piastri-Verstappen seat swap gossip won't die — sensible business or paddock fantasy?

Following on from the McLaren-Verstappen chatter — the specific idea being floated is a straight swap, Piastri to Red Bull, Verstappen to McLaren. On paper it's tidy: Piastri gets to test himself against the ultimate benchmark in a slower car, Verstappen gets the current pace-setting chassis. In practice, driver markets are rarely this clean. Piastri has shown no obvious desire to leave a title-contending team, and Red Bull have never been shy about developing their own junior talent rather than importing a rival's driver. My money's still on this staying rumour through most of the year.