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In what appears to be a startling turn of events, Mercedes could end up prioritising Fernando Alonso over Lewis Hamilton this season.
According to Spanish publication 'The Objective', it has been mentioned that the Mercedes board, which owns around 20% stake in Aston Martin, is not happy with the performance of the German team. Add to that the fact that Aston Martin secured a podium and produced a better car than Merdeces, which has set the wheels in motion behind the scenes.
As reported by the aforementioned publication, the team has been sent a message from the headquarters that the next two races could determine the strategy for the future. The report said:
"In Brackley, the town where the Mercedes team is based, they have received an uncomfortable message from the brand's headquarters: they have two races to catch their breath. Either this changes visibly, or attention should be directed towards Aston Martin, a team whose parent brand are shareholders and suppliers."
For now, the aim is to move the best Mercedes engines to Aston Martin to aid Alonso in a potential F1 championship battle. Initially, these engines, with an advantage of around 4 bhp used to go to Hamilton, but with the Mercedes team nowhere in contention, the supply could change. The report said:
"The best engine that Lewis Hamilton had in the inaugural test, for example, delivered 3 kW more than the best of the Aston Martins, which is equivalent to about four horsepower. The seconds go to Aston Martin, and this is what could change, so that this direction is reversed in its sense.
"If the brand understands that the Mercedes team is not going to win races with them, but Aston Martin could, they have already received the communication that they start thinking about this from the fourth round of the world championship."
Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes' relationship could get strained
The development mentioned above could strain the Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes relationship if the driver is not given priority treatment. The driver is already in the last season of his contract, and if something like the above happens, Hamilton might not like that.
Having said that, we should caution fans to take the report with a pinch of salt. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff wields a lot of power in the team, so such drastic steps are almost uncharacteristic for the former world champions.
