Lewis Hamilton facing brutal Mercedes blow due to Fernando Alonso plan

F1 preview: A lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Fernando Alonso’s title bid could reportedly be prioritised by Mercedes, who supply Aston Martin’s power units, ahead of Lewis Hamilton if their results do not improve as a matter of urgency over the next two races. The Silver Arrows have endured a torrid start to the new campaign after sticking with last year’s unsuccessful sidepod design and were miles off the pace of Red Bull at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Mercedes were also left in the dust by both Aston Martin drivers, with the historic British team clearly having produced a quicker car despite being a customer team of their German power unit suppliers. It seems as though Mercedes could decide to focus on Alonso’s title bid as their main priority if their own situation fails to improve over the coming weeks, which could see Hamilton left red-faced amid a growing crisis behind closed doors at their Brackley headquarters.

The Silver Arrows could begin to give their best-performing engines to Aston Martin in order to supplement Alonso’s hopes of a third Drivers’ Championship triumph over the course of this season, according to theobjective. It is said that Mercedes chiefs are willing to direct more attention to giving Alonso the fastest power units if their own car does not perform in the next two races, which are set to take place in Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Hamilton was given the quickest engine in pre-season testing, with his unit delivering around three kilowatts or around four horsepower more than that of Alonso. The Brit will desperately be hoping that Mercedes will be able to turn things around quickly in order to avoid being effectively sacrificed by his own team if the plan goes ahead, with the next few weeks set to be pivotal in deciding how their season will play out.

JUST IN: FIA president Ben Sulayem’s son dies following traffic accident

Any decision by Mercedes to give their fastest engines to Alonso could be an unpopular one, though, as it would risk angering Hamilton in the final year of his contract with the Silver Arrows without an extension in place as things stand. The 38-year-old recently appeared to dig out some of his Mercedes colleagues by claiming that his advice was not listened to during the winter break, which further suggests that all is not well behind the scenes after a difficult start to the new campaign.

“Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car,” Hamilton told the Chequered Flag podcast. “I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn’t need. I think it’s really about accountability.

Don’t miss…
Wolff and Mercedes ‘benefitting from Alonso beating Hamilton’ [GOSSIP]
Lance Stroll interrupts Fernando Alonso to take shot at Alpine[REACTION]
Kravitz offers Bottas an apology for ‘stupid and insensitive’ comments [LATEST]

“It’s about owning up and saying: ‘Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work’. We’ve got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points, and just huddle up as a team. That’s what we do.”

Meanwhile, it is also claimed that Mercedes are mulling over whether to scrap their current car in favour of a completely new design, which is said to have already been tested in their wind tunnel. It seems likely that any radical changes to their sidepods could mimic the quicker Red Bull shape, which has inspired the construction process of many teams in the paddock after proving to be the most effective design in terms of outright pace.

Source: Read Full Article