Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff and Aston Martin Racing’s Chairman, Lawrence Stroll, are believed to have shared a cordial relationship for the longest of times. However, a reported breach in the no-poaching agreement between the two teams last year reportedly led to a breakdown in the relationship between the two.
It was believed that Stroll had poached the Silver Arrows’ chief aerodynamicist, Eric Blandin. While Stroll did attempt to salvage the relationship by telling Wolff that Blandin approached Aston Martin, it is believed that the Mercedes team principal never bought this argument.
It is since this point that their relationship has never been the same again. And to make it even worse, Stroll has now accused Wolff of ‘stealing’.
Wolff breaks ties with Aston Martin and gets closer to Williams
Following recent developments, Toto Wolff has decided to break his once-strong relationship with Lawrence Stroll, according to Business F1. This massive development comes shortly after Stroll accused Wolff of ‘stealing’ wind tunnel time from the Aston Martin team.
As a result of these developments, Wolff is now believed to have formed a closer relationship with Williams. It is for this reason that James Vowles was allowed to leave Mercedes to join Williams as their team principal. The report ends by stating that Williams is likely to transform into Mercedes’ B team.
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Mercedes and Aston Martin kickstart new rivalry in 2023
The F1 2023 season has begun with Red Bulls finding itself in a world of their own at the top. It is the battle for second where things are currently tight.
After several years of dominance, Mercedes now seem to have found a new rival in Aston Martin. The Silver Arrows have currently scored 56 points and are nine points behind Aston Martin (65), who have had an outstanding start to the new season.
Fernando Alonso has kickstarted the new campaign with three consecutive podium finishes and contributed 45 points for the team. Meanwhile, his teammate, Lance Stroll, has contributed 20 points.
As for Mercedes, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has contributed 28 points thanks to two fifth-place finishes followed by a podium last week in Australia. On the other hand, his teammate, George Russell has contributed 18 points.
Considering how the two teams have begun the season, they could be involved in an interesting battle for second place. Ferrari too can join this battle provided they are able to get on top of their reliability concerns.
