The 'silly season' within F1 has long been formulaic. It starts in the early summer as journalists and fans examine the art of the possible and the rumour mill swings into action.
In a normal year the Hungarian Grand Prix, just before the summer break, is when some shape comes to the rumours and traditionally at Monza, in September, we get some confirmation of driver alliances for the following season.
This year of course has been anything but normal, and with the break-up of the Ferrari/Sebastian Vettel relationship being announced in early May, a flurry of activity meant many berths were full by the end of that month. Daniel Ricciardo's move from Renault to McLaren then left many speculating as to whether Fernando Alonso would return for a third spell at the team which gave him two world championships.