F1 fans accuse Mercedes director of sidelining STRUGGLING driver

Stroll, Aston Martin, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 fans accuse Mercedes director of sidelining STRUGGLING driver

Observant fans have identified an interesting recurring theme in discussions involving Stroll.

Janice Kusters

Friday 8 September 2023 10:57

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' Trackside Engineering Director, has singled out Fernando Alonso as a notable contender while sidelining his teammate Lance Stroll when discussing the other 'cars' challenging them. This subtle shift in emphasis did not escape the notice of fans.

During the debrief of the Italian Grand Prix, Shovlin dissected Lewis Hamilton's race strategy, underscoring the critical role of tyre management to maximise the Brit's overtaking potential.

This strategy ultimately led to Hamilton securing a sixth-place finish, just behind his teammate George Russell, which Shovlin deemed the 'best possible result.'

Article continues under video

What caught the attention of fans, however, was Shovlin's choice of words when referring to other teams.

When he was reflecting on the second half of Hamilton's race, Shovlin shared, “We were able to run him longer [on the hard, and] he was then on a fresh medium at the end of the race.

"When all the other cars; the McLarens, the Williams, Alonso - were on their older hard tyres, and that was enough to generate the overtaking Delta that he was able to get through.”

Andrew Shovlin has been working with Mercedes since 2010

It was the singular mention of Fernando Alonso's name rather than a reference to Aston Martin that raised eyebrows.

Fans analysing Andrew Shovlin's slip

Fans wasted no time taking to the comments under the video to express their thoughts and observations.

@hamza-chaudhry commented, "1:14 I like how this season, nobody refers to it as 'Aston Martin', just 'Alonso.'"

@Joshua-wf6ns said, "I love how he said McLaren, Williams and "Alonso" instead of AM 😂😂😂"

In response, @hamza-chaudhry added, "I also commented this and it's not just on this occasion. Throughout the season people have just mentioned Alonso rather than Aston Martin."

@ElliottCallum chimed in, saying, "This is hilarious, acknowledging that it’s a single man carrying the team 😂"

@Quayleman agreed, simply stating, "McLaren Williams Alonso 😅"

With just eight races left in the 2023 season, Stroll trails Alonso by a significant margin in both qualifying (12-2) and race-day performance (13-1). The pressure is mounting for Stroll to rediscover his form before time runs out.