Brown: As an F1 fan I would love to see Verstappen at Mercedes

Appearing on The Sports Agents podcast during a McLaren fan event at Trafalgar Square, Brown said the idea of Verstappen leaving Red Bull would be damaging to the reigning World Champions: “Mercedes is a team on the rise. Red Bull at the moment, has challenges; it doesn't mean that they can't fix those challenges.

"But Max in a Mercedes is pretty uncomfortable to think about, because he's awesome. I’d rather him stay where he is. I think it would be a disaster for Red Bull if they lost Max," predicted Brown.

Button, meanwhile, leaned into the fantasy: “Someone like Max thinking about moving to Mercedes, it's exciting for him. It's exciting for all of us watching that are fans of the sport.

“I would love to see it! Whether it would happen or not, I don't know. But from my point of view – yes! We want to see that! It’s Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna!” declared the 2009 F1 World Champion.

While endorsing a hypothetical Verstappen-Russell pairing, Button also defended George Russell’s position at Mercedes amid talk that the Briton could be the one forced out if Verstappen were to move.

“I am a big fan of both of them. I think they're both very skilled,” Button added. “I feel for George a little bit because everyone’s saying if Max does go to Mercedes, it'll be George that's leaving. But the guy is at the top of his game. He’s an exceptional talent. Works hard. When he was up against Lewis, he beat Lewis!”

Christian Horner, now fired as Red Bull team principal, has previously dismissed the Verstappen-to-Mercedes rumours as “a lot of noise,” but with Red Bull under pressure and Mercedes resurgent, the speculation is only growing louder heading into this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.