While the majority of seats for 2026 are already settled, it is the 'musical chairs' of 2027 that James Vowles finds fascinating.

As it stands, it is the line-ups at Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Alpine and, of course, Cadillac that have yet to be confirmed for 2026, however, looking ahead to 2027 only a handful of drivers have contracts, assuming we still believe that signatures on a piece of paper are worth anything.

Fernando Alonso has already admitted that 2026 will decide whether he remains in the sport, the Spaniard not only concerned by the competitiveness of the Aston Martin but the direction in which the rules overhaul takes the sport.

Similarly, Lewis Hamilton, will be hoping that his second season with Ferrari is similar to his second year with Mercedes.

Then, of course, we have Max Verstappen, who, though contracted until 2028 with Red Bull, has already demonstrated that he's looking elsewhere, and is set to remain key to the driver market for the next few years.

From qualifying in Melbourne, drivers will be watching to see who appears to have got it right and who hasn't, and James Vowles believes that this will create the most volatile driver market in living memory.

"I think the end of 2026 will be another big driver market move," he tells Sky Sports. "A lot of contracts come up at that stage."

Among the contracts that come up at the end of next season are those of Vowles own drivers, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, but despite the team's current struggles the Briton is convinced he can retain them.

"The simple answer is this," he says, "I have two drivers who believe in what we're doing in terms of the longevity of this team, the investment in this team and the direction to go back towards winning championships.

"My job in all of this is making sure they're fairly rewarded for that journey and they want to be a part of that journey as well at the same time," he adds. "That's what I can provide and offer them."

While Vowles has performed miracles with the Grove outfit since taking the helm, other than doubts as to whether Williams has the resources to move further up the grid there is the fact that both drivers are certain to be in demand.

"If someone wants to offer them twice that money, that's their choice in doing so," he says. "But they are key leaders that are having direct impact on what this car looks like tomorrow and what it looks like in a year's time, something not provided to a lot of drivers up and down the grid, almost treated as a separate asset, a separate entity that comes in.

"That's not what we provide here," he insists. "The second part of it is making sure we have conversations early enough in 2026 that this is where I want us to be for the future."