‘That does not make sense’ : PlanetF1
Have you heard that Toto Wolff has been given two races by Mercedes Benz bosses in Stuttgart to improve the team or Aston Martin will become the de facto Mercedes works team?
Well, Helmut Marko laughs – that means he laughs about it.
Mercedes and Aston Martin, a customer of the Mercedes engine division, had opposing odds in the new season’s opening race.
While Aston Martin received praise after Fernando Alonso’s podium in Bahrain with the team celebrated for its much-improved AMR23, Mercedes appeared to be a team in trouble.
The Brackley team’s W14 failed to impress as Wolff admitted they will have to return to the drawing board as he “doesn’t think this package will ultimately be competitive”.
Mercedes’ miserable start to the season has not only sparked speculation about Lewis Hamilton’s future and whether he will still be around next season, but also sparked a rather startling rumour.
According to Sport1.de, a rumor is circulating that Wolff has been given a deadline by Mercedes-Benz to improve, with that deadline being the third round of the championship in Australia.
And if he can’t, then Aston Martin is the team of choice when it comes to Mercedes engines, effectively becoming the works team.
Marko scoffed at the mere suggestion.
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“Could you imagine that Christian would drop Toto if they had become more like Red Bull?”
“Why would Mercedes make a competitor stronger?” The Red Bull motorsport consultant reacted to the German publication. “That makes no sense.
“Despite all the partnerships, at the end of the day Aston Martin is a competitor to Mercedes in the passenger car sector.
“Mercedes will now do everything to make the season opener, which was disappointing for them, forgotten. In this ambitious task there is certainly no place to help Aston Martin.”
AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost called it “nonsense”, especially since today’s rules state that all factory teams and their customers must receive exactly the same specification of the engine.
“The rumors are nonsense,” he said.
“Regulations clearly dictate to engine manufacturers that all customers must receive the same material. And as far as I know everyone sticks to that very meticulously.
“A preference for one team is therefore inadmissible and unrealistic.”